


elysian

by rippedjeansandloudmusic



Category: Heroes of Olympus - Fandom, Trials of Apollo - Fandom, percy jackson - Fandom
Genre: M/M, barely ny angst, gayyyy, its on tumblr too, jk there's bound to be some, just in case you want to read it there, mostly fluff thouh, multi-chapter, okay imma leave now, theres no smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-10-25 09:11:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10761153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rippedjeansandloudmusic/pseuds/rippedjeansandloudmusic
Summary: Nico’s had a pretty shitty life. His best friend, sister, and mother all dead, and an abandoned father all coupled with being sent off to a new country, he isn’t sure if it’s cruel humor or sick coincidence that he got his soulmate mark at the worst of times.Will’s had a boring life. Living what’s seemingly the same day on repeat, he wants out. He wants excitement.Here’s the story of how they met.





	1. Capitolo Primo

**Author's Note:**

> There is Italian spoken in this chapter and, since im from good 'ol america, I can't speak Italian. So blame Google for any misuse of the language.  
> (sorry for making such a shitty trope but i needed it)

Nico di Angelo hated being forced to do something.

It was something he was raised with; something that was always a part of him. He never understood why, though it was probably him just unconsciously following in his older sister’s, Bianca’s, footsteps.

She was always the outgoing one, wanting to get up and do things instead of sitting back and watching them happen. Like when she would watch TV. She would see someone do wheelies on their bike and immediately say _“Bye mom and dad, I’m going to learn how to do a wheelie.”_

The best part of their relationship was based on this foundation; the wanting to do and not watch.

This was the exact thing that got her killed.

The day was about as normal as could be. Nico woke up in the cot below Bianca’s, stretching and jumping up the ladder to shake his sister’s unconscious body.

Bianca was a weird girl, to say the least. All around town, there were whispers about the thirteen-year-old girl who couldn’t let her eleven-year-old brother go. They were practically attached at the hip. They were a package deal, you got both of them or neither or them.

Her hair was pretty lengthy, something Nico enjoyed (but his mom wouldn’t let him grow his hair out), with a bare face and almost always with a smile. Most girls her age were enveloping themselves in makeup and boys. Bianca preferred to stay at a distance where she could watch instead of do; one of the only exceptions to her number one rule:  _Don’t sit back and watch when you can get up and do._

She had that inked all over the walls above her bed. In cursive, Italian, English, some random language her and her brother had made up…

She loved that phrase.

So, it was no surprise when it showed up on her arm. Bianca didn’t have a soulmate. At least, that’s what she told Nico. So, the things she loved showed up on her own arm. She called it poetic, something Nico under _stood_ but didn’t really under _stand_. It was odd. He understood what poetic meant, and how she could think that phrase was poetic, but he didn’t understand why. Why that phrase, and why now?

Nico looked like your typical on-the-rise teen. His hair was cut short and his eyes were always open, wanting to swallow all the information he could get off the world. He was always hungry for exploration, something he probably got from his sister.

After he dragged a begrudging Bianca from the bed and down the stairs of their rickety old mansion (this was ancient. Dad had said that it was passed down throughout the generations, and Nico believed him. Though, in secret, Bianca would say how _That’s utter bullshit. He probably got this in some knockoff auction or something._

Nico didn’t understand why she hated dad so much. She said he was too young to understand.

Though, she never seemed close to dad.)

Their father was at the kitchen counter, arms wrapped around Maria di Angelo and face buried in her neck. Bianca just rolled her eyes, clearly done with their actions, and walked around them to the fridge door.

Dad didn’t acknowledge her, only running up to Nico and throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

_“Nico!”_ He screamed, hands racing up and Nico’s sides. Nico thrashed, eventually getting out of his father’s grip and running up to hide behind Bianca. Bianca smiled, putting him in a headlock and rubbing her knuckles against his head.

_“Don’t come over here and expect to be saved!”_ She yelled in between bursts of laughter.

Maria watched the two from beside her husband, hiding a smile behind her hand.

After breakfast Bianca pulled Nico out the front door, only half paying attention to her mother yelling at them from the door. She blew Maria a kiss through her hand, screaming how they’ll be back for lunch.

They were now in new clothes, running through the streets of Venice with their hands in the sky, laughing and playing with other kids that would come by.

The sidewalks were crowded, and they could see boats as they floated underneath bridges they would run across. Bianca had hitched a ride with a girl’s family who she apparently knew from school, while Nico sat beside her and they tried to push each other into the water.

It was great.

It was _normal_.

They got back at lunch time, just like she said they would, and immediately dove into their lunches. Maria asked how their exploration was, and Bianca watched and Nico raved about how _There are monsters in the water! Don’t look at me like that, Bianca. They’re HUGE!_

They all knew he was joking, but no one asked him to stop.

They went back out again that night; dancing in stores they would come across, sometimes they would just start yelling songs at the tops of their lungs and watch as people stared at them with loving eyes, wishing they could be that young again. That _happy_ again.

It wasn’t until they got home, at around six, that things went wrong.

“Bianca!” Nico yelled, darting into a sprint up their street. It took Bianca a minute to realize what caught his line of sight.

“Holy shit!” She yelled, running to catch up to Nico.

Their house was on fire.

You could see the flames licking up the side of the home, tearing away at old, charted paint and old foundations. You could see the windows breaking under pressure and could hear floors falling.

Their father stood outside the ruckus, on his knees and seemingly passed out. Nico ran over.

“Dad!” He screamed, hoping to wake him. He smacked him once. Twice. But nothing.

“Mom’s still inside…” Bianca whispered to herself, making sure Nico didn’t hear. She cast a look at him, how he was leaning over Hades with a terrified look on his face. There were groups of people crowding around them, forming a ring. Someone had their phone out, calling the police. She could see one of their neighbors - she didn’t know their name - tearing Nico from Hades’ unconscious body. She looked back at the burning home.

“Mom…” She said once more.

Then she darted.

Nico saw her soon after, running headfirst back into the flames.

“Bianca!” He yelled, trying to tear the man’s arms from around his waist. Instead, they tightened, keeping him rooted to his place on the once green grass surrounding his home.

“BIANCA!”  He screamed again, only now noticing the tears staining his face. That didn’t keep him from repeating the chorus until minutes (probably minutes) (it could’ve easily been hours) later when he was pulled aside by someone, he doesn’t know or remember who, and was ushered into a vehicle (he doesn’t remember what) and reassured. He doesn’t remember what he was being reassured of.

His entire family was dead.

He didn’t need reassuring…

He needed his sister back.

His arm burned, which didn’t make sense. He wasn’t hit by any flames (that he knows of), so what was happening?

He rolled his arm up, tears still falling down his face, before seeing something that was being seared into his skin.

A sun.

_A sun_.

How fucking ironic. Just as his entire family is gone his soulmate appears.

Fucking.

Great.

+

Will Solace wasn’t sure why soulmates are even a thing.

He loves his family, and they love him in return. He has amazing siblings, Kayla and Austin, and he doesn’t need anyone else. Does he _want_ anyone else? Well, that’s debatable. He wants to feel this _thing_ that everyone describes as the best feeling in the world. _It’s like you’ve just down seven energy drinks_ , his older brother says. Austin had met his soulmate at a young age. Sixteen, to be exact. A high that you can’t get down from. _I feel like I don’t need five-hour energies when I’m with her._

Will think’s that cool. Feeling like you never need to sleep or anything? Someone you would _die_ for?

That’s the appeal he got from it.

What he _didn’t_ like, however, was that this… this _person_ was chosen for you. He felt as though the point of living was to make your own choices; your own mistakes.

So, if you’re meant to find your own place in the world, why did _someone_ already pair you up with _someone_?

_That’s_ what he didn’t understand.

His normal day was _extremely_ boring. He got up to go to school, then got home seven hours later to study, then go to sleep. Repeat the cycle the next day. That was until the weekend when he would study on repeat and watch weird videos on YouTube.

It was boring.

He _hated_ boring.

He wanted to go out and _do_ something. He wanted to explore; run down the street just to see how fast he could go. Light something on fire to see how fast it would go out.

He wondered, occasionally, if he soulmate felt this too.

But he didn’t dwell on it.

The first tattoo he got, he was ten. Playing with Austin, who was now fifteen, outside. He didn’t have the best relationship with his siblings, besides with Kayla, but Austin was the man of the house. Their dad had walked out a long time ago, leaving his mom, Naomi, alone with three kids and no child support.

Thank _god_ he wasn’t his mom’s soulmate. Apparently, her original soulmate had died long ago. Will was, even though he kinda hated it, a mistake. A one-night-stand went wrong.

His mom didn’t treat him like it was his fault, like in the movies. She told him about his birth father, and how they were alike and how they weren’t. She didn’t hate him or cast him out.

He loved his mother.

Austin had thrown him the ball. Will caught it with nonchalance, as though sports came naturally to him, and threw it back. This time, though, when Austin threw the ball back it rolled back into the woods behind them.

“I’ll get it!” Will called back, running forward into the wood.

He got pricked with many different thorns, one or two catching on his hoodie before he ran back to Austin.

Will’s arm burned, something he didn’t particularly like enduring, but he powered through it, tossing the ball back and forth with Austin until he noticed something was up.

“What’s wrong?” Austin had asked, walking forward with a hand on his hip. Will shook his head. His eyes lingered on Austin’s forearm, though. He had just recently gotten his tattoo - a small compass with what appeared to be prayer beads. Will shook his head.

“Nothing.”

Austin rolled his eyes, walking over and grabbing Will’s wrist. Will quickly pulled his arm back, wincing at the pain where Austin’s hand had touched his wrist.

_“Will.”_ He chided, reaching forward and grabbing his wrist again. Will hissed but didn’t pull away, allowing his older brother to pull his sleeve back.

When his hoodie was discarded (it was a bother), Austin’s eyes promptly grew to the size of saucers.

“Holy shit,” he whispered.

“Ma!” He called back towards the house, not looking away from Will’s hand. “Ma, you’ve got to see this!”

Will scrunched his brows, his eyes only now fluttering down to his forearm.

His tattoo.

But… but that wasn’t supposed to come for a few _years_. Why… why was it -

“Ma! Ma, Will’s got his tattoo!”

Will almost didn’t notice when Austin began tugging him back towards their small home. It was in one of those suburban areas with homes clustered all around, he wasn’t sure what it was called, and theirs was probably one of the smallest. There were barely enough bedrooms for them, Kayla having her own and the boys having to share, and the old yellow paint was chipping from the sides.

The tattoo was something Will couldn’t quite see. There were also scribbles under it. It was a rough sketch of two women.

_Bianca e Maria di Angelo_

He wasn’t sure if they were words or names, but probably names. Also probably for the two women on his arm now.

Naomi came flying down the stairs towards her two sons.

“What do you mean he already has his tattoo? You just got yours, Austin.” Naomi had a slight southern accent, something that affected her o’s and t’s a bit. And she rarely said you all. Always yall.

“But he did, Ma. See?”

Naomi slid her glasses up her nose a bit, taking a fleeting look at her son’s arm. Her eyes widened, immediately batting Austin’s hand away.

“Don’t touch it! That’s gonna hurt, Austin. More than yours did.”

Will winced at the tattoos began morphing, changing. The girl on the left - who Will assumed was Bianca - her photo began changing, now more like words making up a person.

_Non sedersi e guardare quando si può alzarsi e fare._ It was that simple phrase repeated all throughout her photo, creating her face and eyes. The ink would get darker to symbolize the shadows that crossed her face. Words made her freckles, lips, eyebrows, cheekbones.

Will would dare say she was attractive. But, not truly. He knew she wasn’t his soulmate.

His mother googled the words (after they deciphered them, anyway) and recited them from the screen soon after.

“ _Don’t sit and watch when you can get up and do_. Humph,” she walked back over to her son. “Your soulmate sure has an odd form of loving.”

“Maybe they’re his family,” Will tried to defend them, though he was quite curious himself. _Why were they showing up now?_ _He’d never heard of this happening before, so why now?_

He couldn’t come up with an explanation.

+

Nico had to move to the states.

They tried to look for his father, tried to find him, but Hades di Angelo had disappeared off the face of the Earth. Everyone was looking for this guy; but nothing.

Nico was left alone.

He was sent to a foster home in upstate New York. The worst part, though? Besides being all alone? _He couldn’t speak English._

He could tell people were talking to each other, their lips were moving and a sound was coming out, though to him all it sounded like was gibberish. Words and sounds mixing together.

_“Quando posso andare a letto? Sono stanco…”  
_ _When can I go to bed? I’m tired…_

“In un minuto, Nico,” the lady spat back at him, making him want to retreat into the wall. She was cranky. Nico immediately disliked her.

He rubbed his wrist, thinking of his soulmate.

_Did he live in America? Where they here, in New York?_

Nico wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

He remembers a conversation he had with… well, they talked about how he didn’t like the girl next door.

_“Why not? She’s pretty,” she asked, throwing on a long skirt from her drawer. Nico shrugged._

_“I don’t know. Though, her brother’s kinda cute, right?”_

_Bianca just shot him a smile._

_“Yeah, I guess so.”_

“Nico?”

Nico blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes and looking up at the new lady. She seemed nice. Her hair was black, pulled up into a ponytail high above her head. Nico walked forward, not bothering to be subtle, and looked up at her. She was short, not much taller than Nico, and he cleared his throat, looking back at the woman who was meant to be translating for him until he got settled. Honestly, he just wanted to be left alone for a moment. All these new things… it was too much.

_“Signora, potrei andare in camera mia. Voglio… solo essere lasciato da solo.”  
_ _Ma’am, may I please go to my room?. I just… I want to be left alone._

She looked at the other woman. She was sending Nico a sad look, her blue eyes filled with sympathy. Nico had gotten that look enough, and wanted it to go away.

He rubbed his forearm again.

She looked at his arm and raised a brow. She turned to the other woman and exchanged a few words. Looks were tossed back and forth. The blue eyed woman got a shocked look, though it didn’t last long.

Soon after Nico was walked inside.

The home was small. There was a crowded walkway that leads to an open area with a round table in the center and a window across from it. There were things on the fridge, papers hung with magnets. Nico raised a brow though didn’t ask. Partially because he didn’t know how. He knew a few words here and there. He had learned with Bianca. She always wanted to travel to the Americas… she wanted to become a famous piano player like their mother once was.

Nico blew on his eyes (or tried) to stop the tears from falling. The ones that fell he flicked away.

He bit his lip in concentration, trying to muster up the few words he knew.

“Uh…” he looked at the young woman. She couldn’t have been older than the mid thirties.

“Um, bedroom?” He could hear his own accent, thick with Venice remembrance. Sally looked a bit surprised, though Nico didn’t question it. He’s been getting a lot of questioning looks over the past few days.

She waved him over, leading him down another crowded hallway towards two rooms on the very end of the hall.

_“Percy!”_ She called out. Nico was a bit weirded out. _Why would anyone name their kid Percy?_

“I’m comin’ mom!”

He wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, though next thing he knew he was stood in front of an older boy. He didn’t have an angelic glow, or a godly presence, though he did look… different. Nico wasn’t sure if that was positive or not though.

Percy’s eyes widened when he made eye contact with Nico and he flung himself backward into his room, grabbing what appeared to be a laptop and appearing back into the hall. He and the other woman exchanged a few words, Percy tapping away at his laptop, before spinning it around and showing it to Nico.

_Ciao! Mi chiamo Percy, e mia madre è Sally. Come ti chiami?_ _Hello! My name is Percy, and my mother is Sally. What’s your name?_

Nico raised both brows at the family. He tried to play Sally’s name on his tongue though couldn’t exactly. Sally just smiled at her son, gesturing for Nico to tap out a response. It was a bit odd, he wasn’t used to the keys, though he eventually figured it out.

_Dove sono?  
_ _Where am I?_

Sally’s eyes widened, and she tapped something out.

_Non sai dove sei?  
_ _You don’t know where you are?_

Nico shook his head, taking the laptop back quickly and tapping away again.

_No, non so solo che la sua casa sia. Conosco l'America perchè qui?  
_ _No, I just don’t know whose house this is. I know, America, though why here?_

And that was how they communicated. For a good amount of time, too. Just standing in the doorway of this Percy guy’s room.

Eventually, Sally explained how Nico’s father’s brother was Percy’s dad, and they were the closest relatives he had.

_That’s great…_ Nico thought to himself.

Soon after he walked into the bedroom he was _apparently_ going to be sharing with Percy Jackson.

There was a bunk bed with metal rods in the furthest corner of the room. The room was covered in glow-in-the-dark stars, and there was a shaggy carpet laid dormant in the middle of the room. A makeshift desk in front of a window that looked out to what appeared to be a fire escape.

“Ironia iritata..” _Irritated irony_ (it’s a loose translation)

Nico murmured to himself, thankful Percy couldn’t hear him.

“What?” The boy in question asked, though Nico just waved him off. He walked over to the bunk bed, gesturing to them. Percy said something and Nico just glared at him for a moment. Percy’s brain clicked and he gestured to the top bunk, in which Nico climbed up with his single duffle bag. Not much could be salvaged from the fire, though most of what was were just sentimental stuff.

Nico was glad it was only the important things.

He reached into his bag, pulling out a case of thumbtacks he had stolen from the mean translation lady. He also reached in and pulled out an old tin, one that once belonged to his sister, one that was only partly charred from the fire. He opened the top, flipping through the photos.

He looked down to Percy. He was standing in the center of the room awkwardly, holding his laptop and shifting slightly.

“Uh…” he muttered. Nico rolled his eyes, though didn’t look away. Something about this boy… _infatuated_ him. Though Nico swatted those thoughts away because of first of all: cousins, ew. And secondly…

_Oh shit._

Bianca had warned him that not everyone would accept him, whatever that meant. So, what was he supposed to do? What if they _didn’t_ accept him? She told him to be wary of people who may not like him for who he likes.

“Uh, do you want me to leave?” Percy asked, gesturing to the door. Nico raised a brow and Percy took that and ran with it, leaving the bedroom.

Nico sighed.

“Great…” he muttered, unconsciously slipping into his new language. English.

+

Will was still bored.

He had turned thirteen last week. Now, for most people, that’s amazing.

But not for Will.

Nothing changed. He didn’t grow a foot, or suddenly have a bunch of friends. Nothing felt necessarily _different_.

He hated it.

Everything felt so bland. Like it was the same record on repeat for eternity.

Something new showed up on his arm, though. A name, _Sally_. He wasn’t sure who Sally was, though her name was inked in blue, the end of the _Y_ being attached to a sea shell. That wasn’t everything, though.

There was also a camera and a pair of headphones. And old tin can that Will was sure someone probably set fire too. The tattoo of the two women hadn’t faded or changed, which Will thought was odd. _Don’t most people’s faces change over time?_

For a while, there was a pen, a weird cap pen with a word in ancient Greek. _Riptide_. He wasn’t sure why that was important.

The newest addition was the one that everyone found to be odd.

It was a word. _Soulmate._ Will didn’t understand why someone would love _Soulmate_ , though it did make him curious.

_Was his soulmate in love with the thought of a soulmate?_

It was weird.

Everyone looked at it, wanting to catch a look at what was causing so much confusion. Will didn’t have an answer. Neither did WikiHow, since he had checked.

He found out he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up.

He also joined a new sport at school. Baseball. He overheard his mother talking about how her soulmate once played baseball and figured he should give it a try. Just for the hell of it.

He wasn’t very good at baseball, though.

He mostly stuck to his books; to the things he could control. He couldn’t control how his eyes seemed to always drift towards other boy’s in the locker room, or how his tattoo had shown up years before it was supposed to, or how he almost always had a really, really sad vibe. He was an optimist or tried to be, though he couldn’t shake off that depression.

He hated being sad. It was too sad for him.

So, he buried himself into his work.

It was the one thing he could control.

+

Nico just turned fifteen.

He didn’t understand how it was that much different than being eleven. I mean, they’re just numbers. What’re they meant to represent, anyway? How many years you've survive? How many years of pain you’ve been through?

He’s started to branch out a bit more, no thanks to Perseus Jackson.

Percy had gotten a new friend, someone by the name Jason. Nico wasn’t sure what to think of him, yet. He had weird glasses that looked foreign on his face, and a scar above his lip that told the story of his weird diets as a child (ex. staples).

He had retreated into his wardrobe, though.

Mostly black pants and a bomber jacket. He’s been wearing the same shoes since he was fourteen, and wasn’t planning on giving them up.

He’s also learned more English. His accent was still there, though not as prominent as years prior. Most of the time he would cuss Jackson out in Italian so he couldn’t respond, and it was times like those that he was proud of his mother tongue.

He was also diagnosed with depression.

He had high days and low ones. Ones where he would love to go skydiving and ones where he just wanted to crawl up into a ball and never untangle himself.

He still had nightmares about the fire.

Though he was getting better.

His tattoo had morphed. Now it had a baseball bat and medical textbooks. There was a particular word… uh, _ceraunophile_. Someone who loves thunderstorms and lightning, apparently.

Nico would have to say he’s one as well.

Something about the imperfect pitches of thunder that rock their shitty apartment. About how Percy would cower under his blanket fort like he was protected from the outside world from inside.

He was going to university next year.

Nico still wasn’t sure what he thought about that.

Percy wasn’t his best friend by any means. He was more like a brother. A brother that he wishes would _stop going on about his stupid tattoo with a book and blueprints on it for Pete’s sake it’s annoying._

Nico wore the bomber jacket to cover his tattoos. He wasn’t ashamed of them, of course not, it was just something he liked to keep for himself. Something he felt was meant for him and no one else. Showing it off just felt… wrong.

He would sometimes sit on the desk before the window in their room, writing down different words and melodies, hoping to make something out of them one day. You could never see him without his headphones - he could escape through those. He didn’t have a specific type of preferred genre, just a little bit of everything.

Like now

He was watching new ink stretch up his arm, curling around his elbow. It was a light shade of pink, like a string, that seemed to be in constant motion around his arm. It spun like that, round and round and round and round, for about an hour. Soon after it stopped, etching a word into his skin.

_Happiness_

Damn.

Nico stole a look at Percy. He was out cold under the covers in his bottom bunk, so Nico quietly strolled up to his bunk and collapsed onto his mattress.

Pictures.

Pictures and glow in the dark stars.

He had thumbtacked all the saved photos from the fire to his ceiling, covering a vast majority of the wall. There was one in which Nico had cut out Hades’ face, making him virtually unknown. There were other photos of him and Bianca - most of them were him and Bianca - dancing. Nico never thought about that. How he and his sister could just dance in the middle of Venice, doing whatever, and how nobody acted like it was out of place. Sure, he got a few odd looks, but he learned not to care.

From Bianca.

He sat up, running his thumb against something he’d carved into the wood about three years ago.

_Don’t sit back and watch when you can get up and do._

It was in Italian, though he could still read it perfectly fine.

He collapsed backward into his bed once more, closing his eyes and falling asleep to the fake sounds of chirping birds and the smell of grass, when in reality it was the sound of sirens and the smell of shitty Yankee candles.


	2. capitolo due

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> needed some hazel levesque. needed some lou ellen. this was the product.

Nico’s tattoo’s changed over time.

Most stayed the same; the baseball theme, the sun, and the pink string. Though, the string was one of the weirder one. It was never the same. At one moment was _Happiness_ and the other _Dimples. Family_ to _Sunshine._

He loved it. (Though he would never admit it.)

It was poetic. (Though he would never admit it.)

He wanted to know what was one his soulmate’s arm. Maybe his sister? Mama? Maybe a music sheet. He wasn’t sure what he loved.

His seventeenth birthday was last month. February was brewing over the horizon, threatening to come and destroy his peace.

His father called. Not to apologize. Not to come back. To announce he had a sister; one in New York, Manhattan. Literally _in the same city as him_. He expected Nico to go and meet her at some chain restaurant downtown.

He wanted to go.

But he didn’t want to give his father the satisfaction of knowing he still had an influence over him… Though she didn’t deserve that. The girl that was (supposedly) his sister didn't deserve that.

When he woke up that morning he threw the covers from his body, wiping the sweat from his brow and climbing down the ladder. He was never sure why he sweat in his sleep, and it was pretty fucking gross. Though he couldn’t help it. It was like second nature now.

He didn’t have a shirt on, only a pair of gray sweatpants and one sock. The sock had so many holes in it, though, that he was sure it classified more as just a strip of cloth.

He opened the door to his solo bedroom (Percy lived on campus), and walked across the floor towards the kitchen.

He wasn’t that surprised to find Sally already at the dining room table.

She was passed out at her laptop, reading glasses pushed up her head. Her black hair was pulled back into a messy bun atop her head, though most of it had come undone throughout the night. She was still wearing her suit from the office, meaning she had gotten home and immediately went to work on her book. She’s been working on it for a while, Nico knows because she’s asked him many questions on how teenagers are nowadays, and was on it constantly.

(He admired her determination to get them out of this rickety apartment.)

His hair was now long enough were he could pull it back easily, something he always loved. He was positive he was done growing (height wise, of course), now being around 5'6 (167 centimeters) with a lanky body. His arms were growing a bit once Sally had convinced him to join the track team. His go-to attire was a black-sometimes-gray shirt with black jeans, along with a black bomber jacket. (Percy called him angsty) (he preferred the term Aesthetic)

He walked barefoot across the wooden floorboards, prying the laptop from Sally’s unconscious body and grabbing a pillow from one of the chairs to tuck under her head. She might’ve been asleep, but he knew she would appreciate the gesture.

He tip-toed around the table, reaching into the cabinet above the stove and grabbing some things.

As he was preparing breakfast, something that he normally did on the weekends, he didn’t realize Sally was in the doorway until he was finished. He sighed loudly, over-playing how her presence frightened him (it didn’t) (she was too nice to be frightening) and showing a small smile.

“How was _your_ night?” He asked, his Italian accent showing slightly. It was there, he wasn’t going to let it fade that easily, making his words sound a little more swave than most people in America.

“Crappy,” Sally replied, walking over and opening the fridge. “Do you know were the cream is?”

“Top shelf,” Nico replied, grabbing two plates from the rack in the corner and taking the food from the pan.

“What has Chef di Angelo cook for us today?” Sally asked with an over-exaggerated French accent and a raised brow. Nico rolled his eyes, though didn’t fight the smile from his face.

“Sausage omelets. Don’t worry,” he said at her exasperated face, “it’s not hard. Barely took fifteen minutes.”

She smiled shyly at him, taking the plate he held out to her and walking back to the counter. Nico grabbed their drinks (coffee, obviously) and followed her out.

“How’s the book doing?” He asked when they sat back down. Sally appeared to be trying to turn the laptop back on, but it was obviously dead. Even he knew that, when he barely knew how most forms of social media worked. She huffed out in annoyance before digging into her plate.

“About three-fourths the way done,” she replied after swallowing her first bite. She smiled at him, pointing with her fork towards the plate. “How are you so good at making these?”

“Mama taught me,” he replied, picking at his plate as well before shoveling some into his mouth. “Said, _‘I want you to be able to treat your soulmate right, Nico. Be extravagant!’”_

Sally smiled sadly at him. Nico didn’t talk about his mother much, Bianca neither. Mostly because no one really asked, truly. He wasn’t _over_ their deaths - he wasn’t sure he ever would be, truly - but he was better than before. He could talk about them, how great they were, and how he wished they were still around.

“Your mother sounds like an amazing person,” Sally said.

“She was…”

They settled into a nice silence after that, just eating.

“Are you going to see your sister today?” Sally asked after a moment, causing Nico to pause in getting up.

Nico winced unconsciously. He didn't really like the term _sister_. He didn't even know her yet; she wasn't his sister (yet). “Not sure,” Nico said, picking the last amount of food from his plate before drawing himself to the kitchen. Sally sighed, following Nico into the kitchen to continue their conversation.

“I think you should,” she said, standing beside Nico at the sink. “You’re not going to have another opportunity like this, Nico.”

“I know, I know,” he said, grabbing the dish soap. “I just - I don’t know _how_ I’m going to react. I want to meet her - I truly do - I just don’t know if I could see _her_ without seeing _him._ He did pick her over me.”

“Nico,” Sally said, grabbing Nico’s wrist and grabbing his chin, pulling it to look at her.

“You know that’s not true. He just… well, I don’t have an explanation. Just, even if that is true - _which it isn’t! -_ you shouldn’t let that stop you from meeting her.”

Nico huffed, twisting his jaw from in between her fingers and continuing to wash his plate.

“Do you always have to be right?” He asked, though his tone was muffled. He disliked telling people they were right, gave them too much advantage. Though Sally just smiled, patting him on the back and walking back into the dining room.

“There’s money in the drawer! Don’t take more than you need, Nico!”

+

Nico hated going outside.

He was walking down the street, towards the coffee shop he was supposed to meet this infamous 'sister' in. His white converse hit the street in a rhythm he was trying to get lost in, trying to forget that he was going to meet his only living relative (he didn’t like to think of his father as _alive)_ (at least, not in his head. Not to him, he wasn’t) and how he could easily make this relationship crash and burn. But, alas, the sound of bussing taxi’s and screaming children left his brain a mush or something he couldn’t keep up with.

He pulled out his headset.

He had an old and falling-apart music player he’s had with him since his fifteenth birthday. Percy had gotten it for him, saying _That’s what brothers do for each other, Nico,_ and leaving the room.

He had downloaded all the songs he remembers Bianca used to like. And the ones his mother used to sing to him as he had a hard time falling asleep.

_O Sole Mio_

It was something he loved listening to. It might not’ve been his mother’s voice, or her way of singing it, but the simplicity of the song gave him comfort he didn’t know he needed. The basic tempo with the basic lyrics… they were basically him.

When the doors to the coffee shop were pushed open he almost gagged.

It smelled like old coffee and paper. He could see stereotypical hipsters, alongside the normal college students and some normal people - though not many - stationed at random places throughout. He didn’t bother walking up to the front counter, just marching straight towards the back and stationing himself at a table near the window.

He wasn’t sure what Hazel looked like, and she him, just that he would be alone at a table near the back.

He stayed there for about an hour until she showed up.

He didn’t hate her for it. He actually enjoyed the time alone, spent sketching or writing on some table napkins. By the time she got there he’d gone through about twenty napkins, and was now on his last one, drawing a part of an eye.

“Uh, Nico?” He heard a small voice ask, causing his head to lift.

 _Holy shit,_ was his first thought. Followed by _Those genes must’ve come from her mom, because holy shit Hades isn’t that attractive._

She had long and voluminous (that’s a thing, right?) hair, streaks of blonde all throughout the brown. She was wearing what appeared to be a school uniform, a long pleated skirt that danced about her knee with a blazer and a white shirt underneath. Her eyes shone gold and danced with curiosity, one that reminded him of Bianca, and she seemed to be biting her lip so hard that he was surprised when she didn’t draw blood.

“Yeah. I mean, yes, I am Nico di Angelo.”

She put a hand to her chest, breathing heavily. “Thank god. I was beginning to think I walked into the wrong shop.”

He smiled at her small attempt to lighten the mood, gesturing to the seat across from him. “Sit, please.”

She shouldered off a bag Nico didn’t realize she had, plopping herself in the seat across from him. Their chairs were pretty tall, and he could tell she was swinging her legs under the table. She was small enough to where it was easy for to do it when Nico could stand up easily. (He could nearly do the same.)

They sat in awkward silence for a few moments.

“So, I’m assuming you're Hazel?” He asked, inwardly cringing at how delicate his voice sounded. Hazel seemed glad that he broke the silence, since she obviously had no idea how, and nodded.

“Yeah, Hazel Levesque.”

“Well, what brings you to New York, Hazel Levesque?”

She raised a brow at his odd way of talking, though didn’t bother questioning him on it. “Uh, I go to a Catholic school about an hour from here. Marie thought it was a good idea to get me away from New Orleans.”

Nico raised a brow. “You’re Catholic?”

Hazel shook her head quickly, taking a hair tie from her wrist and using it to tie her hair back.

“No. Marie thought it would be a good idea to, quote, _Get good influence on you before you turn into Piper.”_

Nico raised a brow, twirling the straw on his tea (he’d gotten it about half an hour ago) to keep his hands from shaking. He was done with coffee for the day.

“Okay, question one: whose Marie? And two: whose Piper?”

Hazel thumped herself on the head, sighing loudly. “Sorry, I forgot.”

“It’s fine.” Nico reassured her, bringing his legs up to his chair and tapping his fingers on the table. “I’d do the same.”

She smiled at him, causing her teeth to shine white against her light brown skin tone.

“Well, Marie is my mother. She likes to be called Marie. Says it _‘demands attention and focus’,_ whatever that means.”

Nico smirked.

“Piper’s my best friend. She goes to my school. She isn’t Catholic either, though this is the closest school her father could get for her since she’s been kicked out of so many.”

Nico snorted, and almost toppled out of his chair when Hazel shot him a warning look.

“S-Sorry. Just, uh, how many schools has she been kicked out of?”

Hazel raised a brow, and sounded a bit hesitant to answer. “I think around four. What’s it to you?”

Nico bit his inner lip, trying to suppress a smile.

“I’ve been to six, if it’s worth anything. Principals don’t really appreciate graffiti art on the sides of their offices.”

Hazel laughed, and Nico wasn’t sure what to do. He was never considered a _funny_ guy; morbid, yes. Antisocial and disturbed, yeah. But, making someone laugh? That was new.

“Wow, I can’t see you doing that. Actually,” she took a closer look at his face, as though analyzing him. He shifted uncomfortably, as though her gaze was making him uncomfortable, but she didn’t seem to notice. “You have a mischievous glint. So, I guess I can see you doing that.”

Nico blinked for a moment.

“Wow. I didn’t know you could read people.”

Hazel shrugged, taking a sip of coffee she’d bought before coming back. “Yeah. Marie’s a psychic supposedly, so I guess it’s hereditary.”

Nico licked his lips, rolling his head to crack his neck. Hazel winced at the sound, though Nico didn’t notice.

“Speaking of that,” he said, placing both his feet on the ring of his chair. “How can we look _nothing_ alike?”

Hazel scrunched her brow. “No idea. I like to think of Hades as the god himself; a selfish, uh, _dude_ with no DNA and no cares.”

Nico was the one to laugh now. They were drawing eyes from around the shop but didn’t mind, to invested in their conversation to care.

“You’ve never met him?” He asked, stirring his drink again. Hazel shook her head.

“No. You have?”

Nico nodded his head solemnly. “I hate to say I have.”

Hazel scoffed. “Why so?” She had an agitated tone, one Nico has heard many times before.

Nico looked up at her, though didn’t move his head from being downcasted for a moment. Slowly he sat back up straight. “He’s a selfish asshole that left me for dead.”

Hazel’s eyes shot open wide, suddenly sitting up straight as well. Maybe Nico was laying it on too thick, but he couldn’t find himself to care. He _hated_ Hades. With every inch of his being.

“What?” Hazel asked, now seeming a bit confused and seemed to be seething a bit.

 _We may not have looks in common,_ he thought to himself, _but we sure do have some matching personality traits._

“He hasn’t told you?”

Hazel shook her head.

“Well, I’m not from America, first of all.”

Hazel rolled her eyes, though not in annoyance, and smirked a bit. “I could tell, from the accent. What, Italy?”

Nico shook his head. “Venice, to be specific. There, uh,” he looked to Hazel. Was he alright to tell a stranger his entire life story?

 _Not a stranger,_ Nico told himself. _A sibling._

“He lived with us. In Venice, that is.” Nico knew that was irrelevant, but he was trying to distract himself from the words coming from his mouth. “He lived with me, my mother, and my sister, Bianca.” Nico could tell Hazel wanted to interrupt, but she kept her mouth shut, letting him continue to talk.

“Let’s just say… I loved him. As much as I regret it, I loved the guy. He was my role model, someone I wanted to become. Well, not entirely, but how he was so _successful,_ and how he still made time for my mother and I even though he had a busy-ass schedule, he could still see us.”

Nico bit his lip and blinked repeatedly, trying to get rid of the tears threatening to run down his cheeks. _No crying,_ he reminded himself.

“We lived in harmony. All of us except Bianca and him, anyway. Bianca’s my sister. Full blooded, not half, you know? Anyway, they always had a rocky relationship. They avoided each other, never talked often unless mama asked them both a question… I never fully understood. I remember,” he laughed bitterly, “how she would always tell me I was too young to understand. How, how she would tell me when I was older…”

He felt something hit his hand, and looked down to see Hazel’s hand. She had spindly fingers, one built for a piano, not for comforting a crying teenage boy.

“Sorry,” he said, taking his hand from Hazel’s grip and wiping his eyes. “I’m a mess.”

“No,” Hazel said, taking both his hands in his and squeezing reassuringly. He stared at her for a moment, trying to process what was happening, before she began talking again.

“Continue. I’m curious.”

He smiled bitterly again. (He hadn't talked talked this freely about Venice in years.) _(why her? why vent to her?)_

“Anyway," he cleared his throat. "It was a normal day, the day he left. Well, at least it _started_ normal. I woke up Bianca from our beds, we ran down the stairs and had breakfast, then we ran out to the town. Venice is different from here. America. We would run down the crowded streets, holding hands and singing songs at the tops of our lungs. Sometimes another person - a neighbor, or perhaps a student Bianca knew - and we would just… be ourselves. Bianca never sat back and watched. She got up and _did._ I loved her for that. So, so many other reasons, but that was… that was a major one.”

He cleared his throat again, and Hazel squeezed his hands.

“That night, our house caught fire.”

Hazel took a sharp breath, though didn’t tell him to stop. He dropped her gaze, instead studying her hands. He didn’t notice he was talking, only seeing how her hands weren’t calloused - more bone and skin. How she seemed like such a nice girl, too nice to be Hades daughter.

(Except for Bianca. Bianca was the one exception - she was nice. Amazing.)

(a small voice, towards the back of his brain, whispered, _how do you know_ she _isn't either?_ ) 

“And, when they tried to contact him the next day, he was gone. No one could find him anywhere. Not even the fucking _NSA_ could find him. But, apparently, they were looking in the wrong country…”

Hazel stood up from her chair, walking around and hugging him tightly. Nico froze. He didn’t get hugged often from anyone that wasn’t Sally. She buried her face in his collarbone, and he had to turn so they weren’t at such an awkward angle.

“I’m so, _so_ sorry. And I know it doesn’t matter, what I say now, but _god_ I’m sorry.”

“I live with my - I guess _our_ \- aunt at about a forty minute walk from here.” He sniffled. “She - she was the one to convince me to come here. No offence, obviously, but I, uh," his voice faded.

Hazel smiled sadly, and pulled back to look at his face. He was shocked to see she was about to start crying as well.

“It’s fine. Piper and Leo were the ones to convince me to come, as well. I was scared that he would still be with you, and I would storm out - I just, I don’t get out much.”

Nico smiled sadly.

“Neither do I.”

+

Will’s life was getting a _bit_ more exciting.

He woke up at the crack of dawn - like always - and threw back his covers. Austin was gone, on his final year of college, and Kayla was still asleep. He didn’t need to check to know that was the case.

He put on his clothes, which consisted of a ratty old red flannel and some white shirt from a band he didn’t know existed, paired with some old blue cut-off jeans he bought a few weeks ago. His hair was freshly cut, short against his sides but a bit longer on top, and his black converse.

Then he was out the door.

Will had to pick up multiple jobs to help his mom pay the bills; they were good, she would say, and Will knew that was always correct. Naomi was a nurse, so they were always good in the money department, but he felt like he was taking too much and not giving enough. He worked at a small, family owned restaurant down the street from his house. The family was amazing, though he felt like they were too invested with soulmates. They were constantly walking up to him, asking for a glimpse at his tattoo, since everyone in their family had already found their soulmates and they quote, _Wanted to live vicariously through him as he searches for his own._

Will still didn’t understand the hype completely, though he was beginning to understand.

He saw a couple at a McDonald's a few days ago. Weird, he knows, but just listen:

They were sitting, hands interlocked in the middle of their table, sharing a Happy Meal. As Will walked over, he thought they were just friends, though then he caught a glance at each other’s names on their arms.

And suddenly, he realized that _he_ wanted that. Maybe not anytime soon, but at some point.

He just still wasn’t sure _why he wanted it so badly._

Yeah, they were your soulmate. But, they’re just _people._ And yes, he loves his sister and his mother and his brother with all of his heart. He just couldn’t imagine feeling _that_ and something more for another person.

It just seemed too unrealistic.

As he swung the door open to the restaurant, he was pretty surprised to find it already partially filled. They were mostly elderly couples, people who didn’t remember a time before their soulmates, and the occasional one with a grandchild. He could see one woman in the very back with her grandchild, a young girl who seemed to be in her early teens, probably only thirteen.

_I can’t be more than three years older than her._

Will’s sixteenth birthday wasn’t that long ago, so it seemed like a logical estimate on her age.

“Solace!”

Will’s head snapped in her general direction, causing his neck to crack painfully. Lou Ellen, the owner’s daughter, came running out of the back bakery and full speed at him. When they crashed Will almost fell over, catching them both at the last second.

“Will! Solace, Will, we need to talk.”

“Oh god.”

Lou pulled him into the back room, away from unsuspecting eyes, and almost punched him when they got some privacy, but thankfully Will dodged.

“Lou! What the hell - ”

“Your tattoo.” She said, pointing at Will’s forearm. “Let me see it.”

“What makes you think that slapping me will get you anywhere in the soulmate department.”

She just glared at him. Will huffed, pulling back his flannel and showing his forearm. Lou jumped, grabbing his arm and inspecting it closely.

“Holy shit! You’ve got a new one,” she said, pointing at his arm. Will raised a brow, twisting around to try and get a glimpse of his mark. Apparently, all his tattoos shifted during the night, making a new face in his arms.

“Jesus Christ…” Will muttered, moving his arm around.

It was a picture of an attractive young woman, one that was probably around Will’s age, with long brown hair and glowing gold eyes. The tattoo seemed to be constructed of stained glass, giving her a new, vibrant light beside the simple worded tattoos of the other two women. This girls name, though, was in English.

_Hazel Levesque_

She was a different skin tone to the other two - from what Will could tell, anyway - so they weren’t related. She seemed to be in mid laugh, causing her face to seem much more younger than it probably was, so Will wasn't _positive_ on her age, though he was probably around the correct age range.

“That’s…” Lou covered her mouth. “That’s amazing.”

“It is,” Will muttered, barely loud enough to hear himself, and continued staring for a few moments.

“Will! Lou! What the hell are you guys doing back here?” Lou’s father, an older, burly man, bursted through the doors to see them both staring at his new tattoo. He sighed, waving the two off back to their jobs.

Will couldn’t take his mind off the tattoo.

It was different from the other two faces. It seemed new; refurbished. The other two seem worn down, as though older.

He decided the newest tattoo was his favorite one.

He left early that morning with Lou in tow. He was never positive why he decided working _before school started_ was ever a good idea, but nonetheless, he still had classes to attend.

Lou and Will didn’t have many classes together, only two, and they weren’t the most talkative people. Popular? I guess you could say that, yeah. But willingly? Hell no. Will liked to stay in the background, play his baseball and get good grades so he could go to NYU’s medical program, and then maybe, _maybe_ move there afterward. He’s always wanted to go to New York. He liked how the city never slept, that there was always something new to do or see. It was different from his suburban neighborhood, something he always thought he needed. Different.

Maybe he’d even find his soulmate there.

+

Will wasn’t the biggest fan of crowds.

He enjoyed being out and about, but not being surrounded by the same people every day after school.

He liked his teammates, don’t get him wrong, but it’s just… _boring._ He wanted something new. Something exciting. Something that would make his stomach turn and twist and make him want to vomit. But, vomit rainbows, and not his bowels.

He was practicing his swinging, something he was never good at. He was a better outfielder. But, of course, they already had more than enough outfielders, so he was left at either batting or pitching.

 _I guess it’s something exciting to put on my college application,_ he tried to give himself something positive to think of, but that just made it worse.

He wanted to leave, and he wanted to do it _now._ Not in two years, not in two _months,_ he wanted to go _now._ He was getting sick of the same old house on the same old hill, with the same old friends and the same old school.

He was sick of the old.

He wanted something _new._

But, for now at least, he was just going to have to stay put.

It’s not like he gets to plan his own life out, anyway. And when would his mom let him go _anywhere_ that wasn’t the same old house until college?

He didn’t have a choice.

So, he just swung his bat.


	3. capitolo tre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there are way too many words in italics but im too lazy to re-read and edit it so here you go and i don't wanna proof read but angst yay  
> Edit: *shrug*

Nico was just _done._

Done with college preparations, done with having to stay put and let others do his work.

He was  _done._

So, he did the best thing he could think of.

He called up Hazel, asked her to get all of her friends to come to the alley between their old coffee shop and the shoe store beside it, and just wait. Same with Percy and Jason.

Percy’d found his soulmate while at his college. Some weird home-grown Californian, last Nico had checked. Jason hasn’t found his, though Nico was positive that was about to change.

He’d met Piper a few times before. Enough were they had a relationship. They weren’t besties but they also weren’t acquaintances. Friends, he guesses, but that seemed too strong.

He knew her enough to know that Jason was her soulmate, that’s for damn sure. She had a tattoo of Thalia Grace’s name on her wrist, which was Jason’s sister’s name, and a pet dog with the name _Sparky_ on his collar, which was Jason’s dog.

Yeah, they were soulmates.

He’d told Hazel this, and made her swear not to tell Piper. He was planning to lock them in a room and force them to deal with each other, because he was positive the sexual tension was going to _fucking skyrocket._

He was walking down the street now, towards their little alley way. It was hard to find a place in Manhattan that _wasn’t_ occupied by either homeless people or prepubescent teenagers, so Nico had to search far and wide.

Well, not really, but he likes to make himself sound adventurous.

When he got there he was brought face to face with his sister, Piper, and Leo Valdez.

Piper was a strong girl. Her hair self-cut with scissors she’d taken from Hazel’s workbox and now Hello-Kitty khaki’s on, she looked like a six year old that just _happened_ to know how to beat anyone above or below her height in a fight. She had a hand on her hip, spinning around, looking at the alleyway. She had a feather braided into her hair and braids down the sides, looking like she just got attacked by a hairdresser with a braiding fetish.

Leo stood somewhere down the way, beating the hell out of a PVC pipe with a wrench. Where he got the wrench Nico didn’t know, all he knew was that he could make a mean catapult out of some popsicle sticks and a rubber band. He had on a greasy white shirt and ripped jeans, his hair a wild curly mess atop his head. All three of them had a light brown skin tone, some lighter than others, and looked more like siblings than Nico and Hazel did.

Since it was around June, Nico was still in his casual attire (like he was going to change it anytime soon), which consisted with ripped jeans, his black leather aviator jacket and band shirts, along with some black gloves he’s bought at a Target, the tips cut off to show his spindly fingers. His hair was pulled back once again, this time with a bright pink hair tie Sally gave him on his way out the door. He was rubbing his hands together mischievously, exchanging a knowing glance with Hazel, who held that same look. She had a simple purple shirt and jeans on, something she never seemed to change out of, with a pair of shoes she’d bought with Nico a few weeks prior.

Nico was going off to NYU in a few weeks, giving them only the weekends to hang out. She was joining him the following year, though, so it couldn’t be all that bad. He was scared, yeah, but he knew it would fade overtime.

As he came down the alley Hazel smiled, turning and yelling out Leo’s name. He came barreling down a few seconds later, leaves in his hair and a wicked smile on his face.

“Why do you look like you’re attending a funeral, di Angelo?” Leo asked, raising his eyebrows in Nico’s direction. Nico rolled his eyes, ignoring Leo’s comment and instead turning to Hazel.

“Is everything set?” He asked, practically jumping with nerves, something that didn’t happen often. He’s been a lot happier these past few months. Something about hanging out with his eccentric sister and her friends made him come out of his shell a bit more.

“Yep,” Hazel said, popping the _‘p’_ and turning to Piper. Piper looked confused, her eyebrow raised.

“What? I thought we were just going to see a movie?”

“Nope,” Nico said, sharing a smirk with his sister. It wasn’t common to see him smiling, though now it was becoming more of a regular occurrence. At least around Hazel, it was.

Hazel began clapping excitedly, grabbing Piper’s hand and leading them back out the alley. Piper, in retaliation to Leo’s pointing and laughing, grabbed Leo’s hand and began tugging them along as well.

“Nico!” He screamed, seemingly losing the battle against Piper for the use of his left hand. “Help? Maybe?”

Nico shook his head. “Not a chance, Valdez.”

“Oh, fuck you!”

“Not even if you paid me.”

And that was how they walked into McDonald’s.

The people behind the counter seemed startled by their outburst, but soon the staff recognized Nico and Hazel from their repeated occurrence at the restaurant. They always met up here instead of at the cafe, since they both realized they hated being around stuck-up people. They prefered the children and parents that came to their McDonald’s; a lot nicer, and more accepting (most of the time).

Nico ran up to the counter, ordering their food before going back to their booth in the corner. Piper and Leo were squashed between the wall and Hazel, Nico sitting across the table from them.

“What the hell, Hazel?” Piper asked, squirming a bit. “You got Hazel in on this?” Piper was staring at Nico with what looked like vengeanceseethingin her eyes. Nico just shrugged, folding his hands across the table.

“Percy, Jason, and Annabeth should be here at any minute.” He said, shifting a bit in his seat. He wasn’t used to being the only one to know what was happening, and it was a weird thing to feel. But it wasn’t unwelcomed.

“Percy? Jason - who are those people?” Leo asked, also seeming quite uncomfortable in the small booth. Nico was suddenly glad for the vacancy - something that was rare in New York - of the restaurant. No one could hear Leo and Piper’s bitching.

“You’ll find out.” Nico said, getting up to get their food when it was called. On his way over his phone buzzed and he pulled it out, smiling devilishly at the screen.

“What’s got the infamous Nico di Angelo smiling?” The man behind the counter asked. Nico looked up, not being able to stop smiling. Finally, _finally_ he was going to be able to bring people together instead of break them apart, like his family. He didn’t like that thought though  considered it true. If, and only _if_ Bianca and him hadn’t gone out that night, maybe, just maybe their family would still be together.

Though, if that were true, he never would’ve met Hazel, and had a whole new family.

It was weird, no doubt, and he knew there were flaws in his system, though he didn’t try to fix it; he liked flaws, more than what was probably socially acceptable.

“You see the girl with the feathered hair over there?” He asked, jerking his head into Piper’s general direction. He wasn’t sure why he was telling Cecil - a stranger, only known to him because of his addiction to McDonald’s - about his friend’s new soulmate, but he wanted to. He was happy for them.

“Yeah, what about her?”

Nico lowered his voice, leaning in close to Cecil, who raised a brow.

“I know her soulmate, but she doesn’t know him.”

Cecil’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

“Seriously?” He asked, his voice at a whisper. Nico nodded, taking their tray of food into his hands. “In about five minutes a guy with blonde hair and glasses is going to walk in. Just so you know, that’s him.”

Cecil nodded, a smile plastered onto his face. Nico turned around, walking back to his table and placing the tray on the table, taking his milkshake from the tray and taking a drink.

“What did Cecil want?” Hazel asked, leaning over the table to talk to Nico. Nico just smiled.

“He wanted to know why I was smiling.”

+

If you needed two words, from Nico, to describe Piper and Jason’s meeting, he could supply two:

Fucking. Golden.

Percy and Annabeth walked into the restaurant hand-in-hand, which immediately drew Leo’s attention.

“Holy shit. They found each other already?” He asked, taking a drink of his Dr. Pepper. “Never heard of that.”

“My parents met when they were fifteen.” Piper said, stealing Leo’s soda and taking a drink. They fought for a few seconds before Leo got his drink back.

Then Jason walked in.

Hazel made a small squeaking noise and Nico almost died. Jason was staring down at his phone, oblivious to the fact that Piper was practically mentally undressing him, and she turned to Nico.

“Who is _that?”_ She asked, practically vulnerable with how her face was.

Nico bit back a sarcastic retort _and_ a smile, instead shrugging. “Percy’s friend. Why do you ask, Piper?”

Piper just crossed her arms, leaning backwards into the seat. Leo raised a brow, turning to Hazel.

“What -” Suddenly realization dawned on his face. “ _Oh.”_

Hazel hit him, trying not to let Piper notice, though Piper was too invested in studying Jason’s ass as he walked by.

Percy and Annabeth walked over, Percy having to drag Jason over since he was still on his phone, and they dragged over some chairs and sat down.

“Hey Nico.” Percy said, casting a sideways glance at the other people at the table with him. “Who’re these people?”

Hazel’s head snapped towards Nico, where she punched him in the arm. Nico winced, though punched her back just as hard. Instead of retaliating a he just _humph_ ed before sitting up straight.

“You seriously didn’t tell him?” She asked. Nico just shook his head, leaning back in his seat. Hazel glared at him, practically screaming at him in her mind about how she was going to kill him in his sleep. Nico just smirked.

Percy raised a brow. “Wait, are you two soulmates?”

Nico’s milkshake got a not-so-friendly introduction to the table.

Hazel and Nico both doubled over, both dying of laughter in their seats. Annabeth just smiled, Percy was confused, and Jason finally looked up from his phone, though only to glare at Percy.

“You do know he’s gay, right?” He asked, as though it was the easiest thing in the world. And, not to mention, blatantly obvious.

Percy now glared at Jason. “Yes, dumbass, I do. But, who else would she be? Nico’s not really the friend type.”

Hazel just wiped the tears from under her eyes, sitting back up. Nico followed suit.

“Sister.” Nico wheezed out, taking another drink from his milkshake as Percy began wiping down the table. Percy’s head jerked up to look at Nico.

_“What.”_

Nico smirked. “Hades apparently got hitched to Hazel’s mom over here,” Hazel raised her hand, as though wanting to ask a question. “And now we’re related. Isn’t it great, _Jason?”_

Percy was now even more confused, though didn’t get to answer before Jason raised a brow and butted in.

“Why?" Jason asked, pushing his glasses up his nose before scrunching his brows. "I mean, sure, it’s great, but what do I have to do with this conversation?”

“Nothing,” Hazel interrupted. “Jason! Meet Piper. Piper, Jason.”

And ( _finally)_ they made eye contact.

From then on it was practically obvious that they wanted to talk, though nobody let them.

Nico and Percy stole Jason, and Annabeth, Hazel, and Leo stole Piper. Leo just wanted blackmail material, and took multiple photos of his best friend.

“I swear I won’t use it.” He told Hazel, though even a blind man could see he had his fingers crossed. Hazel just rolled her eyes, stealing away Piper and Annabeth to go on a road trip.

And the decision Nico made with Percy was - debatably - the best of his life.

“Coffee shop?”

“Coffee shop.”

+

Will was practically jumping in his seat.

“Calm down, tiger,” Lou said, hitting his knee. Will just smiled at her, face radiating smiles and happiness.

 _He was in New York._ Manhattan, to be exact, but regardless.

He doesn’t remember much from the night before. For the time being he was staying with a family member (technically it was Lou’s biological mother, though Lou said he was practically family already) until his first term at NYU started up. He got to her house at around five that morning, going to sleep only for about four hours, and immediately got Lou and went on a tour of the city.

This all seemed like a dream.

_Please god, don’t be a dream._

They were in the back of a taxi, heading toward the famous Statue of Liberty. Lou wanted to complain, say how it was just a dumb statue, though Will looked so happy that she would do anything he said. Just so he would stay this happy.

Will’s _never_ been this happy. Graduating as valedictorian - great. Winning the finals with his baseball team - amazing. Getting accepted to NYU? Probably the happiest moment of his entire life.

He loved it here and it hasn’t even been twenty four hours.

All throughout the entire life he’s wanted to be here. The tall buildings, the massive groups of people, the busing of cars all throughout the night…

It might sound terrible to most people, but he was practically dying with just the thought.

All throughout the tour of the Statue of Liberty Will was practically jumping with excitement. It didn’t matter that there was a kid vomiting his brains out five feet away, or the mother that would yell at him every two minutes for no reason.

None of that mattered.

Because he was _fucking zazzed._

That, bringing back a dead meme, was how happy he was.

_Fucking. Zazzed._

Lou had also got them part-time jobs at a coffee shop her mom co-owned. He was less excited about that, since he didn’t get to go out and explore, but none of that mattered.

He was _excited to work._

That, in itself, was a miracle. William Solace was never, _ever_ excited about working. Especially the later shifts.

The streets were still buzzing when they got out of the statue about an hour or two later. Though Will didn’t care.

“Where can we go next?” he asked, staring up at the large, glowing billboards above his head. Lou had her phone out, staring down at the screen. She was standing beside him, raising a brow at his obliviousness through her short dark hair. Her eyes sparkled green, though Will was oblivious to the annoyed look they were giving to him.

“To the shop.” She said, putting her phone into her back pocket. “Our shift’s in about an hour.”

“An hour?” Will asked, frowning. “We should have enough time, then.”

Lou laughed, and it was almost lost over the sound of people’s feet tapping against the sidewalk. “Honey, honey,” she hit Will’s shoulder. “You’ve never been to New York.”

+

They were almost an hour late.

“What the hell, Lou Ellen?” Her mom asked as they walked in the door. Lou just shrugged, grabbing the apron her mom threw across the counter. She threw one at Will as well, and he had to stumble to get it, since he was too busy staring at the walls.

“Is this the place hipsters go to die?” He asked aloud, and Lou laughed from behind the counter.

“Probably!” Was the response he got, but it was from her mother, Hecate, rather than Lou herself.

The place was pretty big, though not obnoxiously so. Behind the counter was a chalkboard in which they wrote down all their deals and stuff. There were Bell’s jars lining the outer walls in which people would write notes and stuff in, then stick them in the slot. Wooden bar stools were around the bar and there were tables all around made of the same material.

Will hated to say it, but he kinda liked the style.

Walking around the bar and throwing the door aside he walked behind it, tying the apron around his waist and rolling the sleeves of his flannel up to right above his elbow, where his ‘mark’ ran up his arm. Will found it amazing how one person could love so many things, though he didn’t doubt it. He wondered how long _his_ soulmate’s mark was. Only to his forearm? Above it? Was Manhattan on there? Because Will already knew he was in _love_ with New York, but specifically Manhattan.

He was surprised at how many people showed up to a coffee shop in the afternoon. It was around six, no later, and the place was half full.

Nothing like this was the same back in Kansas.

But he wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

(okay, okay, he needs to stop with the references)

He dealt with many different people that night. Most of which were cranky assholes, though Will didn’t let that kill his mood. He was determined to be a happy, social butterfly the entire night, even if it killed him. Which it might, at this point.

He was about to flat out pass out when a group of three people walked in the door.

“Can you just _tell me her name - ”_ The one in the middle complained, throwing his blonde head back and seemingly sighing to the gods.

“Sorry, Grace, but that’s not how my system works. You wait until we _want_ you to meet her, and then you will.” The one on the left spoke, hitting him on the shoulder supportingly.

“But that _isn’t fair if she’s my soulmate - ”_

“Yes, it is, because I found her, and she’s my sister’s best friend. So, suck it up and shove a cork in it because I want a tea.”

They were a group of three guys, all around late teens early twenties, and seemed to gravitate towards each other.

The one complaining about meeting his soulmate was wearing wire rimmed golden glasses on his nose and a scar on his upper lip. He had on a purple sweatshirt with the Roman saying _SPQR_ written in gold across his chest. And normal jeans on his legs. Will recognized the pattern from his sweatshirt from somewhere - a college in California, maybe - though dismissed it.

The one on the far right had black hair and sea green eyes. He was in a light blue t shirt and jeans, and appeared to just roll out of bed in this outfit.

The one on the far left, though, was the one that caught Will’s eye.

He was wearing fingerless gloves, for one. _Who wears fingerless gloves in June?_ he thought to himself, but doesn’t let his thoughts stay there for too long. He had dark brown eyes that shimmered gold in the lighting of the night, and his leather jacket was unzipped, showing off a simple graphic t shirt with a man that reminded Will of the Michelin Man on the front, holding a tire. His jeans were ripped at the knees and upper thighs, showing off his pale skin underneath. He was wearing combat boots, something Austin used to own, that were laced up his foot and part of his shin.

“What do yall need?” Will asked, drumming his fingers on the counter. The one on the far right looked to the one of the far left.

“Nico, what would you recommend?”

This supposed ‘Nico’ character was staring at Will’s soulmate mark. When the guy on the right said his name, though, and his eyes shifted to Will’s. Will raised a brow.

“Everything alright?” He asked, unaware of his southern accent making an appearance.

Nico blinked a few times, clearing his throat and nodding a little too fast.

“The green tea. It’s, uh, it’s good.”

The blonde in the middle was now also looking at Will’s tattoo, making him shift uncomfortably.

“Holy shit, that’s a hell of a mark,” he said, causing Will to look down.

“I guess so, yeah.” he ran his thumb against his skin, phasing out for a moment. After he came back to reality he cleared his throat, hitting the countertop once and going over to the register to hit in the order.

“Uh - so, is that three green teas?”

Percy looked at Will, giving him an odd look.

“Yeah, sure.” He said after a minute. An _extremely uncomfortable minute,_ if Will says so himself.

Will felt _extremely_ weirded out, getting stared at by three strangers (one who was undeniably hot, but that’s beside the point), so he quickly rang up the order, recited the payment to the three, and handed them their drinks.

Then they were pulled off by the boy with short black hair.

“What was that about?” Lou asked, coming up behind him and taking up the other register. It took Will a minute to compute that she was talking to _him,_ and he quickly snapped himself back into gear.

“Uh, I don’t know. They just kind of… all collectively stared at my mark.”

Lou sighed, smiling out of Will’s line of sight.

“The bad boy’s kinda hot, isn’t he?”

“Hell yeah,” he said, slowly realizing how that sounded and his face grew red. Lou stole a look, having to bite back a laugh.

 _They’re totally soulmates,_ she thought to herself.

+

Jason was practically a baby, asking the same question over and over again. Nico shouldn’t be thinking this, since he would’ve felt (but not actually _acted_ the same way because this was just sad _)_ the same way if he were in his position. He pushed the doors to the shop open, leading Percy and Jason inside.

“Can you just _tell me her name - ”_

Nico shook his head, cutting Jason off mid sentence.

“Sorry, Grace, but that’s not how my system works. You wait until we _want_ you to meet her, and then you will.”

Percy shot Nico a look that said _Are you a sadist?_ and Nico nodded, a sardonic smile etching onto his features.

“But that _isn’t fair if she’s my soulmate - ”_ Jason continued on.

“Yes it is, because I found her, and she’s my sister’s best friend. So, suck it up and shove a cork in it because I want a tea.”

They started up to the counter, expecting the typical older lady to be at the counter ready to shove Nico’s order where the sun doesn’t shine, but instead he was met with a new person.

And _holy shit was this new person hot._

The had a blonde shaggy haircut, more yellow than anything, and bright blue eyes that put the colors of the ocean to shame. He had a structured face, something you could cut _fucking diamonds on,_ and had on a red flannel over a graphic shirt (this guy seemed out of this world at the moment) (graphic tees, hot, and probably something else relevant?) (unimaginable) that had the words _Sarcasm: noun. Your body’s natural defense against stupid._

Nico was positive this fucker was an angel.

His flannel was rolled above his elbow, giving Nico full view of his mark. He knew if he looked at it his fantasy would crack. It would show blueprints like Percy’s or a dagger like Jason’s.

But, of course he had to look.

And of course he had to find Bianca’s face staring back at him.

This guy had Bianca’s face, Maria’s face, _and_ Hazel’s face staring back at him. He was a walking mural of _Nico._ He had a pair of headphones on the part of his wrist where the joint of his thumb and his wrist met, the cords forming his mother’s favorite song title. He had the outline of Venice on the back of his hand.

He was Nico’s soulmate.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ive had this already written for almost a week so since im such an ass ill post the other one as well IM SO SORRY OKAY but ive just now figured out everything on here so yay  
> Edit: I'm editing it. No more shitty returns in the middle of sentences

Nico almost had a fucking panic attack.

“That was fucking Bianca,” he said, his forehead laid on the cold tile of the table. He lifted his head only to bang it on the table again. “And Hazel oh my god. She looked like a motherfucking goddess. How is that even possible? It’s just a goddamned tattoo but nooo it just had to be fucking stained glass the same fucking stained glass that Hazel used to make with her mother - ”

“Okay, lover boy,” Percy said, hitting the space between Nico’s shoulder blades with his free hand. “If you think he’s that hot, why don’t you go up and tell him you’re soulmates?”

“Well, I don’t know, do I look like the kind of person someone that hot would like? Because I sure as hell wouldn’t date me if I was him.”

Nico went to bang his head again, but Percy’s hand protected his fall. He just groaned louder. Now his plan of killing himself by blunt force trauma wasn’t going to work. 

“Fuck my life.” He groaned out, trying to both express his discomfort and embarrass Percy enough to let them leave. But he didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of fucking Apollo. Fuck.

“Why does he have to be so fucking attractive? Like, why couldn’t he be you, Percy? Why did he have to be a goddamned reincarnation of Apollo!?”

“I’m going to try not to be offended by that, Nico.”

Jason just snorted, joining Nico on banging his head on the table.

“Now you understand my pain!” He moaned out, banging his head on the table again. Percy groaned, throwing his hand under Jason’s head as well.

“When did I become the parent of two angsty teens?”

“When you decided to let me pick this place of any place in the fucking large city that is New York. And when you got Annabeth.”

And they stayed like that for about two minutes.

“Okay, my hands are going numb, so I suggest you grow a pair and go talk to him.”

Nico scowled, finally sitting up and beginning to fidget with the napkins in front of him. He laughed bitterly, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, Percy, let’s just start a fucking musical number as we’re at it why don’t we?”

Percy rolled his eyes, picking Jason up from his baby fit and smacking them both upside the head. Nico didn’t react, not really unused to Percy’s hitting-upside-the-head tricks, though instead just glared at him again.

“You said when you met Annabeth you felt like you were walking on water. Why the hell do I feel like I just became reanimated after being dead for fifty years?”

Percy bit his bottom lip, giving Nico a knowing look. “You know,” he started, “sometimes you scare me with your morbid way of comparing things.”

Nico glared at him again. Percy wasn’t affected, though got the message.

“You do realize that as soon as I met Annabeth, even though I was in pajamas still, I walked over and talked to her?”

Nico found a new way to hit his head: the back of his chair.

“Jesus Christ di Angelo," Percy's voice was filled to the brim with exasperation. "Just go talk to the guy; I don’t understand what the big deal is here.”

Nico went to snap at Percy though stopped, knowing he wouldn’t understand. This guy - _goddamn it Nico didn’t read his nametag_ \- looked amazing. As though a god or goddess waltzed down from Olympus and blessed this kid with looks. He had freckles across his face, covering the bridge of his nose and his collarbone and probably his shoulders too. He looked fucking gorgeous without even trying. No offense to Annabeth, but he couldn’t see anyone looking better than him.

He realized he was staring and shook his head, looking down at his napkin. He realized it was now in shreds in front of his seat and groaned, throwing it across the table and crossing his arms across his chest.

“Aw,” Percy said, giving Nico a look that made him want to deck Percy immediately. “You look like your true form: an angsty gay teen.”

Nico went to punch Percy though Jason held him back, grabbing his bicep.

“Now can you tell me where the girls are?”

Nico thought about it for a minute.

“Call Hazel, tell her - ” He stopped himself mid-sentence. “Call Hazel.”

Jason didn’t hesitate, grabbing Nico’s phone from the table and unlocking it

“Passcode?” Jason asked, not removing his eyes from the screen.

“Naomi. N - A - O - M - I, Naomi.”

“Who’s Naomi?” Percy asked, spinning in his chair like a small child. Nico rolled his eyes.

“Don’t know. It’s on my arm, though, so I thought it was a good password idea.”

“So what you’re telling me is,” Percy rubbed his forehead, trying to smooth out the lines appearing there, “you have someone’s name - someone who you don’t even know - as your phone password because it was convenient?”

“Basically, yeah.”

“My God,” Percy facepalmed, and Nico just stared at the boy behind the counter.

The cute boy was talking to another’s employee beside him, eyes conveying how much attention he wasn’t giving her, and soon threw his head back in laughter. Nick stared at the lines of his neck, his Adam’s apple.

As the atmosphere calmed down his eyes looked over at Nico’s table and he froze, making eye contact with Nico. Nico quickly looked away, face burning, and chewed (not bit; chewed hard enough to draw blood) on his bottom lip.

Percy was texting Annabeth, Jason was on the phone with Hazel and Nico was spaced out, staring at the napkin in his hand like it was from a different planet.

“She’s at the Macy’s Mall,” Jason said, hurrying to stand up from his chair and almost knocking it down in the process. Percy jumped up as well, grabbing Jason before he could run off.

“Nico,” Percy said, raising a brow at the man in question. “Do you want us to fly by on our way back?”

 _You mean do I want_ you _want to come by? I doubt you’re going to be near Jason for long._

“No,” he replied instead, eyeing his shreds of the napkin on the table. “No - just, don’t die, alright?”

Percy nodded appreciatively, finally letting Jason pull him away. They were out of the shop in seconds.

That just left Nico, the hipster passed out in the corner, three homeless men and about five other people left in the cafe.

Great.

He continued staring at the napkin shreds, trying to boost his self-esteem to go and talk to the guy.

 _What if I just, didn’t talk to him?_ He thought to himself. _I mean, we’re soulmates, we’ll find each other again eventually._

Nico dismissed that thought. He wanted to meet the guy, yeah, but he wasn’t sure if he would get the opportunity to make it happen on his own terms. They could be roommates next year, or maybe get paired for a project or share cubicles in the same office in ten years. He wanted to meet this soulmate under his own terms; not by fate, or destiny, by Nico di Angelo.

So, he picked up a pen.

He doesn’t remember where he got it exactly - probably from the floor underneath his chair - or how he started writing on a new napkin, but before he knew it he was walking out of the shop, hands in his pockets, fear in his heart and hands shaking.

_God, I hope I didn’t fuck up._

+

Will was having a fun time, he guessed.

Lou and he were mostly talking after the three guys walked in - not one soul coming in after that time. His gaze kept on wandering to the other guys, though. In particular, the one that looked like an emo kid straight out of MySpace. Nico. Though, every time they would share a glance the boy would look away, clearly flustered, and proceeded to rip something in front of him to shreds.

Will knew it wasn’t okay to find that attractive. (He would've asked Lou, though his self esteem wouldn't be able to handle the reaction he would probably get.)

The guy looked to be maybe eighteen, but no older. His hair was pulled back by a bright pink hair tie (Will soon realized that that was the only _color_ the guy had on that day) showing off his sharp cheekbones and fair complexion. He seemed to be infinitely squinting at things, as though he lost his glasses and couldn’t find them, and had a permanent scowl etched into his face. Will found himself comparing Nico to a god, and Will wasn’t sure why, but he wasn't appalled by the idea. More… well, he wasn’t sure what the emotion bubbling in his stomach could even be compared to.

It was odd.

Will thought that maybe, just maybe, they could be soulmates. Though he quickly brushed that off. They said that when you met your soulmate you immediately wanted to get to know them, but he just want to be with him. He didn't care what his favorite color was, or if he had a best friend. He just want to be _near_ him. Be with him.

But, with another look over at the boy, Will realized he couldn’t see see his mark. It wasn’t covered by his jacket sleeve.

Will blinked a few times at this, trying to come back to reality, though that thought stuck with him. Why would anyone want their mark covered?

Will wasn’t sure why.

Maybe that was why he didn’t want to get to know Nico, too. Maybe he had to have evidence that they were soulmates before he could feel those things. The things people talked about in books or movies.

 _Why do I even care?_ He asked himself _. I don’t really even know the guy._

It wasn’t that long after his revelation that the door to the restaurant slammed shut.

Will looked up, his hair coming down to hit him in the face, and barely saw the flash of purple move past the outside window.

He’s gone.

Will’s stomach filled with an unexpected pool of sadness.

_I don’t know if he’s my soulmate or not._

Then he looked back over at their table, expecting it to be vacant, but saw Nico still sitting there: one hand in the process of raking back his hair (he had taken it down, Will now realized, in the last five minutes or so) and the other tapping fingers in quick succession on the table.

He looks agitated, Will thought, his eyes trailing back to the door. Why is he upset?

“Solace!” Lou yelled at him, snapping her fingers under his nose. Will flinched, swatting her hand away.

“Shit, Lou,” he settled for instead, placing a hand on his chest. “I didn’t see you.”

“Really?” She asked in a clearly sarcastic tone. “I was calling for you for ten minutes, dude, what the hell?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Will quickly apologized, spinning around to look at her. “What did you need?”

Lou rolled her eyes, waving into the back room with her hand. “Mom needs you to take the trash out. _All_ of it.”

Will scoffed, walking backward into the room, “What? It’s just trash,”

 

It wasn’t just trash.

There were bags of the stuff, so much so that Will was surprised the shop hadn’t been shut down on just basic health precaution. There were ten bags, easy, and he was expected to carry it all out by himself?

Needless to say, it took him about twenty minutes.

When he finally came out of the back room everything that breathed life was gone. Lou was waving away some homeless guy in the far back corner, but besides that it was vacant. When Lou came back Will was sitting on the counter, throwing his legs back and forth and thinking of Nico. He found it odd, thinking of a stranger, but he couldn’t get the boy’s face out of his head: his fragile face yet stone cold glares, his dark features, and why the first word to pop into his brain was _Adonis_. Will could infer that he wasn’t very open - if his clothing didn’t say it, his body language did. How he crossed his arms and legs, rarely opening up, it said enough.

“Grab the trays,” Lou said, running around the counter and expecting Will to follow. He did, grabbing the tray beside Lou’s and following her out the room again.

“You do know how to clean tables, right?” She asked.

“You do realize I worked at your dad’s restaurant for two years, right?”

Lou snorted, making a beeline towards the tables in the back of the restaurant.

Will trailed the outer edge of the establishment, cleaning up tables and throwing away leftover plastic cups and bagels people were too lazy to throw away.

About forty minutes later he was finished, throwing away the last cup on the tables and sighing, collapsing into a chair.

“Yo, Solace,” Lou yelled from the front of the store.

Will got up, groaning excessively, walking across the tiles to the front counter. The tray was at his hip, held by his right hand. His left was rubbing the back of his neck, wanting to relax his muscles a bit. This was frequent after cleaning the tables; his neck and legs were almost always sore and he wanted to pass out.

She was leaning against the counter, a napkin from a table in her hands unfolded, and she seemed to be reading it.

“I think you’re going to want to read this.” She handed the paper over, smiling brightly and failing at trying to hide it. “It’s addressed to the quote, ‘cute boy behind the counter’.”

Will raised a brow, turning the napkin over, careful not to tear it, and read the front. Sure enough, it was, in fact, addressed to the ‘cute blonde boy behind the counter’.

He pursed his lips, giving Lou a look through his eyelashes and put the letter in his back pocket.

Lou’s eyes bulged at his moves, staring at him like he was crazy. “Read it, dumbass!”

“Why?” Will asked, shrugging. Truth be told he was shaking, though tried to be nonchalant. “It’s just a letter.”

Lou began sputtering, throwing her hands in the air at random.

“‘ _Just a letter’_ , Solace! Seriously? Read the damn thing!”

Will just shrugged again. “I’ll read it when we get back.”

Lou glared at Will, facepalming before stalking to the front door. Will ran to catch up with her, tucking the letter even further into his pocket to make sure it didn’t fall out.


	5. capitolo cinque

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i never lie. well, sometimes. I hope ya'll are ready for this monstrosity, because i sure as hell wasn't. don't hate me. :) [also i had another idea for a multi-chapter. i might go for it, haven't decided yet] edit: holy fuck this is bad edit: second time editing it. Maybe it'll be better this time  
> Edit: third times a charm

* * *

Will wasn’t sure if shaking was a good sign.

As Lou and he ran down the packed sidewalks and packed streets the napkin seemed to grow heavy in his pocket, just begging for Will to stop whatever he was doing and read it.

But, he didn’t.

He couldn’t give Lou Ellen the satisfaction.

(He's a stubborn little shit.) 

So, they made their way home. Evading the creepy people, street-corner-bands, and - basically - as many humans as possible. Eventually they made it to the subway, squeezed onto a cramped car and made their way. Will had to stand beside Lou, holding onto the metal handles above their heads for both him and her. Lou was too short to reach the bar and had to resort to holding the sleeves of his flannel. They got looks from tons of different people, most of which were probably thinking they were soulmates, and Lou just rolled her eyes. Will had to apologize when, at one point, Lou flipped off one of the people who was staring. Will didn’t care for the attention, honestly, but Lou seemed dead set on not allowing people to think they were in a relationship.

When they got off the car Lou grabbed his wrist, dragging him across the cemented floor and out, once again, onto the crowded street.

When they got back to the small apartment it was a little past midnight. The place wasn’t very big, barely having two bedrooms, and almost everything could be pushed into the wall. Will wasn’t sure how Hecate could live in this small apartment, even on her own. It was too crowded for Will’s liking, and he was glad to be out and about most of the time. The floors were of polished wood, though underneath a small couch was a gray carpet. The chairs for the dining room and the table itself were all folded up, pressed against the wall to let some more room into the small place. There were only five windows throughout the apartment: two in the living/dining room, one in the bathroom and one in both bedrooms.

Lou didn’t even stop to grab something from the fridge - unlike most days back in Kansas where she would raid the fridge every single time they walked into a house - and instead pulled Will back into their shared room.

Hecate didn’t find it mandatory to find a second bed, since they _were_  childhood friends and _weren’t_ soulmates, so they just crashed in the same twin sized bed. It had a large white comforter on top and a carpet in front of it. The room in itself was pretty small as well, only having one dresser that they had to share (aka: Lou took the dresser and Will just didn’t unpack) and a small hamper for their dirty clothing.

Lou sat on the side of the bed, pulling Will down, and hit him upside the head.

Will winced, rubbing the back of his head while glaring at Lou. “What the hell?”

“I suggest you, Will Solace,” she poked him in the side, “read that damned letter and read it fast.”

Will raised a brow at her, though caved in, reaching into his back pocket and grabbing the letter. Though he hesitated before unfolding it. “Why are you so adamant on me opening this, anyway?”

Lou just rolled her eyes, getting up and hitting him on the shoulder for a moment before going to exit the room. Will watched as she opened the door, almost out of the room, and didn’t think turn around as she said, “Why don’t you read it and find out?"

Then she shut the door, leaving Will in almost complete darkness except for a small light fixture on the other side of the room.

Will read the logo on the front side of the napkin - _Hecate’s Brewery_  - before unfolding it.

The first thing he noticed was the way it was written.

The words were carefully spaced, as though the writer was scared that Will wouldn’t be able to read their handwriting. Every letter curved into one another, making it look more like cursive than simple printed writing. The way the words were written made it seem like his hand was too slow for his brain, having to write quickly in order to get his thoughts onto paper. Though maybe this time they wrote slower because it seemed purposely thought out more, slowing it down. He could still see the places where their pen was to close to the paper while moving to another letter, leaving faint marks of ink in between the words.

Will grabbed the lamp from the dresser and dragged it into the middle of the floor where he could sit and read the note, not wanting to harm the cord since it was too short.

_Uhm, hey, I guess._

(Will smiled at this; seems like this Casanova wasn't as swave as Will previously thought.)

_Now I don’t know how you got this letter, or if you even got it at all. Either way, it’s giving me a fucking heart attack, knowing that you’ll probably be reading this._

_My name is Nico di Angelo. I’m 18, not from America, and just happen to be your soulmate._

_God, this sounds like a shitty movie cliche._

_But I am. As weird as it sounds._

_And I know what you’re probably thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this guy is the biggest chicken I’ve ever met.’ And, yeah, you would be right. I’m scared shitless. Most people could approach their soulmate no problem. Maybe throw out a witty one-liner and get the guy/girl. But, I’m not your average Joe. In fact, I’m about far from it._

_And I don’t know if you’re against soulmates. Some people are, I hear, and I would literally fucking die if I approached you and you called me out or something._

_And you are probably also thinking about how I could be lying. That’s understandable since I would be thinking the same thing. Well, I do have some proof, though I could tell you without showing you as well._

_I guess I could give a small description of one of my marks, perhaps?_

_One of them is of a baseball mitt with a name seemingly embroidered on the palm. Naomi._

_Also, you happen to have my sister’s face on your arm. The girl, the absolutely magnificent stained glass tattoo? Yeah, she’s my sister. Hard to believe, I know better than you, but true. She recently turned sixteen, actually, and is going to a Catholic school ways downtown._

_And I know that you’re putting blind trust in a man you don’t even know. Hell, I don’t even know your name! But, I am hoping that you’re willing to give me a chance. And, if you don’t, at least let me know that you did._

_Those other tattoos… I’d love to share the story._

_Though only if you let me._

_515-808-2362_

_-di Angelo_

Now you understand why the infamous Will Solace was shaking.

While reading the letter, though, he noticed how there were small rips every so often. At the very end, where Nico signed his last name, the _‘l’_ almost ripped the entire bottom half of the paper off. Will could see where he had to tape the page back together. (He vaguely wondered why Nico had tape on his person.)

 _This is a shitty cliche,_ Will thought to himself. _But you added your own flare._

It was amazing to think that he had actually met his soulmate _that day._ Sure, he had an odd vibe about the knockoff-hipster the entire night, though he thought that was normal.

Obviously, it wasn’t.

Remember earlier, where Will said he didn’t feel the need to want to know everything about Nico di Angelo? Yeah, he now had that gut feeling.

He didn’t want to call him, though. Who knows where he could be? Possibly even asleep.

 _Would you sleep,_ Will thought, _if you had just made such a big step towards your soulmate? Probably not._

So Will picked up his phone and dialed the number on the paper.

+

Nico was shaking.

He knew _exactly_ why he was shaking, though. He was crawling with nerves. His arm had goosebumps and his teeth were chattering, though that could’ve easily been from the cold of the night. It was almost never this cold in June, but apparently Mother Nature made an acception today. While walking down the streets of New York City you would almost always get heat from the many bodies you would crash into. One time he was knocked back and forth by the same two people all down Broadway with Hazel after seeing a show. Most of the time he would sweat from the constant brushing up against people.

Now he probably could’ve been in an oven and still been colder than a popsicle.

Hazel was blowing up his phone with _How could you!_ -s and _What happened to sticking to the plan?!_ -s almost all the way home. He didn’t reply, though, until he was back in his bed, staring up at the ceiling of Bianca and Maria.

 _“What the fuck, di Angelo?”_ Hazel’s voice shot at him though the phone.  _“What happened to keeping them apart until they were about to die?”_

Nico thought for a moment before replying.

“Plans changed,” he replied, as bland as ever, his voice shockingly monotone considering the circumstances.

_“Of course, Nico, that’s blatantly obvious.”_

Nico didn’t respond. He could hear Hazel’s heavy breathing through the speaker of his phone. Speaking of his phone it was thrown across his bed, at the foot to be exact, while on speaker, volume as loud as it could be.

Hazel seemed to realize his ill response and said something more.

_“Neeks, what’s wrong?”_

Nico winced, thinking about the nickname.

“You know,” he responded, sure his voice sounded muffled because of his phone being face down. “Bianca called me that for a while.”

Nico could hear Hazel stop walking.

_“Huh? Nico, I know that. You’ve already told me.”_

“I did?” he wondered aloud, not remembering the occasion.

 _“Yeah,”_ she responded, resuming her walking. _“Nico, what’s wrong?”_

Nico huffed, sending a piece of hair that was in front of his face flying.

“I met my soulmate.”

Hazel stopped walking (again).

 _“What!”_ She said so loud it was more of a scream. Nico could hear her yelling in glee from the other side of the line. He felt a smile break through his features, and found himself biting back a laugh to avoid waking Sally.

_“That’s great, Neeks! So why are you upset?”_

Nico’s smile dissipated. He didn’t respond, which of course sent Hazel’s mind spinning out of control. _“Wait,”_ she said after a moment of deliberation. _“Did you not talk to him?”_

He didn’t respond.

_“NICO DI ANGELO! What the hell!”_

“I’m sorry!” he said, scrambling to grab his phone. He eventually took it off speaker to keep Hazel’s voice from getting too loud.

“I just - I - I panicked!”

_“Well, Nico, I’m panicking too!”_

“Now can you imagine _my_ pain?”

Hazel hesitated.

_“Slightly.”_

“Okay then.”

They were silent for a few seconds.

_“I’m coming over.”_

Nico blinked a few times, taking his phone from his ear to glance at the time for a second. “Hazel, it’s past midnight. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Though he knew he didn’t have a say in the matter.

_“Too late. Buzz me in.”_

“What the fuck? How did you get here so quickly?” He jumped down from his upper bunk, grabbing his black hoodie from the floor and throwing it on.

 _“I was going to come over anyway,”_ Nico could hear her feet hitting against the steps outside through the phone. _“You just gave me a valid reason to.”_

“Won’t the school want you back?”

_“The school can suck it. My brother was an idiot and now needs my emotional support during this hard time. Buzz me in.”_

Nico got up, whispering obscenities at Hazel as he walked over to their front door and buzzed Hazel in. She was up in a new record time and flung the door open, almost killing Nico when she ran in.

“Nico di Angelo!” She yelled, and Nico yelped, flying forward and slamming a hand over her mouth.

“Shhh!” He muttered, sparing a glance to Sally’s room. A few seconds later when the door didn’t open he sighed, removing his hand from her mouth.

“Ew,” he muttered, wiping the palm of his hand on his boxers. “Why the hell did you lick me?”

“Don’t put your hand over my mouth, Neeks, and I won’t lick you.”

She shoved past him, marching towards his bedroom. Nico followed quickly, shutting the door behind him, watching as she threw her bag onto the bottom bunk, taking off her shoes and jean jacket.

“Where’s Percy?” She asked, throwing her jacket at Nico. Nico rolled his eyes, tossing the jacket onto the back of his office chair and collapsing next to her on the bed.

“Probably out with Annabeth. He said he’d probably be back at around two, so don’t be scared when two people stumble in here drunk off their ass.”

“Who, exactly?" Hazel asked.

"Jason and Percy,"

“Oh… you’re right. Though, aren’t they all underage?”

Nico shook his head, waving a hand at the lamp so she’d turn it off. She rolled her eyes but obliged, flickering the light off before collapsing next to him again.

“Percy and Jason turned twenty one a few months ago. Annabeth, she’s underage, so she _won’t_ drink. But we both know Piper could talk anyone into getting her a drink, so maybe more like three people.”

“It’s sad how true that is.”

Nico nodded, leaving the room in silence for a moment. Eventually Hazel got up, discarding her jeans and pulling on a pair of Nico’s old sweatpants he had grown out of a few years prior. Why he had those he wasn’t sure. She also stole a hair tie from his floor (he needed to clean the room) and pulled her hair back.

“Okay, let’s get to business.” She sat beside him, shoving his shoulders half-heartedly. “Soulmate. Details. Spill.”

Nico groaned, though didn’t object, and began talking.

He wasn’t sure how long he was talking for, probably about ten minutes, though when she wanted details _she wanted details._

(Hair color: “A bright blonde. It was really shaggy like he hadn’t cut it in months which I didn’t really understand but it didn’t matter because _holy shit he was hot.”_

Eye color: “The brightest blue you’ve ever seen. Hazel, it was ridiculous. Like, fucking, uh, like the fucking Pacific Ocean blue. Oh my god, he was hot.”

Clothing: “A flannel with a freaking _amazing_ graphic t-shirt under it that had the word _Sarcasm_ on it.”

Height: “How the fuck am I supposed to know that?”

Where he was from: “Somewhere south. He had a slight southern accent.”

Best friend: “I don’t fucking know. Uh, maybe the girl he was working with? How the hell am I supposed to know? ”

And a bunch of different ones he didn’t remember.)

When they were finished Hazel whistled, remarking how impressive it was that he got all that information via stalking someone and a two minute conversation. Normally, Nico would’ve retorted, saying how he knew she was staring at one at some guy for a solid ten minutes while they were at McDonald’s, though instead he just nodded solemnly.

“Holy shit,” Hazel whispered, poking his face as though he’d turned into an alien. Nico batted her hand away, though Hazel still smiled. “You look dead inside.”

“I _am_ dead inside.”

“And angsty, too.”

“Please, just shut up.”

Hazel snorted, grabbing her phone from his nightstand and getting the time.

“It’s almost three. They should be here sometime soon.”

“Wait, I blabbered on about a stranger for _three hours_ and you didn't stop me?”

Hazel shrugged, not even bothering to hide the smile growing on her face. “You looked star struck. It was cute. And," she bopped his nose, "not a stranger."

Nico scowled, burying his face in the pillow he was resting against and groaning. Hazel just laughed.

“So, how are we going to find our _Mystery Man,_ huh?”

Nico flopped over, now biting his lip at the boards above him.

“Hopefully he calls…”

Hazel froze.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘ _HOPEFULLY HE CALLS_ ’?”

Nico shot upward, covering her mouth again, though she just pushed him off and dove for his phone.

“You gave him your number?” She asked, though it was more of a scream, and jumped up from her spot on the bed. Nico followed her, jumping to get his phone, which he eventually got back, though Hazel still almost killed him in the process. Before much more damage could be done, though, the front door to the apartment opened and Nico could hear four sets ignore footsteps stumble in.

Hazel looked at Nico with a fire beneath her eyes. “This conversation isn’t over.” Were her last words before she opened the bedroom door and disappeared into the next room.

“Let’s hope this night ends better than I anticipated…” Nico murmured, following his sister into the next room.

+

Will was shaking. (Again.)

It’s been an eternity since Will had last laid eyes on the letter, (three hours to be exact but who's keeping track?) and he was still panicking. His mind was racing with what he should say versus what he was probably going to say. How he could approach the situation and how he would inevitably. How he wanted it to end and how it probably would.

_God, I’m fucked._

Lou was still out the room, probably passed out on the couch at this point, though Will couldn’t find himself to care. He was kind of glad she never came back in - thank her girly intuition about guys - so he could have time to plan. Honest to god he almost got out a cork board and start  _planning out his response._

_God, I’m a nerd._

Eventually he got to the roof

He wasn’t sure how he got there exactly. Probably via the fire escape, though he could've floated up with wings that magically appeared on his shoes and he wouldn't remember.

The sky was beautiful. He couldn’t see the blue or the white clouds, but he could see the stars. He couldn’t point out many constellations since he was never the type for astronomy, but now he wishes he was. It was almost completely clear despite air pollution, giving him the view of different shapes in the atmosphere.

He knew the basic ones. Orion’s Belt, the Big Dipper, and maybe another, but nothing major. He didn’t know Aries or Cassiopeia or the Northern Star. Only of the ones his mother would point out to him. The only ones _she_ knew.

His bare feet hit against the cold of the apartment roof, his head cast upward and mouth open in awe. After a few seconds he wished he brought socks; it was cold as hell.

“This is beautiful…” Will thought to himself. How had he not done this before? Just escaped outside his room back in Kansas and watched the sky?

Well, he probably has. It’s just, up here in New York, the sky is almost perpetually polluted. You almost never got a clear sky. That’s one of the many things he’d googled on the way here from Kansas. 

Which made this all that much better.

He knew the sun was going to come up any time now, so he wasn’t going to have long here. Who knew how long it would be until he got to see this sight again? Days? Weeks? Months? _Years?_ He didn’t know. So he knew he had to make the most of it.

He unlocked his phone, typing the number he memorized into the keypad and held it to his ear.

 _God, I’m_ so _going to regret this in the morning…_

The phone was ringing in his ear, almost sounding deafening despite the sound of busing cars below.

He stayed like that for a moment, only just then the reality of what he was doing settling in.

_I’m calling my soulmate. At three in the morning. On the roof of a random apartment building._

He immediately wanted to hang up, fear racing up his nerves. but the possibility of what the night could bring kept him on the line.

How this was his second day, _only his second day_ in New York and he’d already met his soulmate?

(Well, it’s technically the third day since he got there, but same thing.)

As Will was having his internal monologe the person on the other end picked up, yelling at other people surrounding him and eventually leaving the apartment to get some clearing.

 _“Hello?”_  A voice came through, a bit annoyed, though Will decided to ignore that. Because _holy shit this is my soulmate._

“Uh, hey,” He said intelligently, and he could hear the person on the other end’s breathing stop.

_“Uh, uhm, holy shit, uh, hi?”_

Will laughed, almost doubling over for a second, but instead deciding to lay down.

On the ground.

Of the roof of his apartment.

At three in the morning.

(Was he going crazy?)

Will took a minute before responding, chewing the inside of his cheek.

“I honestly have no idea what I’m doing,” He said honestly, laughing breathlessly. “Calling you at three in the morning.”

Nico laughed as well, something thumping on his end.

_“I would say the same, though I’m babysitting some drunks. What’s your excuse?”_

Will sighed, though couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that formed in his chest. They were having a _normal_ conversation. This wasn’t going as bad as he thought it would be.

“Don’t have one.”

Nico took a moment to respond. _“That’s nice,”_

“Not really, when you think about it.”

It took a minute for anyone to continue the conversation.

 _“So, uh, why_ did _you call me?”_

Will shrugged, though soon realized Nico couldn’t see him through the phone.

“I don’t have a reason, besides the fact that you're my soulmate. I know it’s stupid, calling at three in the morning, but… guess I decided there’s no better time than now. Oh,” Will sat up. “My name’s Will, by the way. Will Solace.”

He could hear the wisp of breath coming from the other end.

_“Nico. Nico di Angelo.”_


	6. capitolo sei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> honestly im slacking and this is just a fill-in chapter and im sorry but it's fluffy alright so have fun

Nico hated Percy Jackson.

First, he came barging into an apartment -  _where his mother was by the way -_ at three in the morning. Second, he expected Nico to be his goddamned slave until he knew how to function normally (he wasn’t even that drunk. He’s just an asshole). Third… well, he was sure he would think of something later.

When his phone rang he didn’t even think of who it was. Just thankful for an excuse to escape, barely missing the look of pure hatred Hazel gave him.

It was about half an hour into their babysitting, so the incident with the cute boy at the coffee shop was still at the front of his mind. Though, like any rational person, he was thinking that it was probably some stupid telemarketer calling about getting a _Free vacuum with every purchase of moisturizing cream!!!_ or whatever.

So, when he left the room (and eventually the apartment since Jason was still singing Disney songs with Piper) (it was a miracle Sally hadn’t woken yet) and hit the _Answer_ button on his phone, snapping out a half tired _Hello?_ with a sore throat, he honestly didn’t fully expect a response.

_“Uh, hey,”_

And _holy shit was he awake._

Nico blinked a few times, expecting to wake up in his bed in a sleepy state, and was _extremely surprised_ when that didn’t happen. (He was vaguely surprised when he recognized Apollo's voice.) (He didn't know the kid's name! The nickname seemed fitting.)

“Uh, um, holy shit, uh, hi?” he stuttered out, going bright red at how stupid he sounded.

At his flustered state, the boy on the other end laughed, the melodic sound seeming to drift off into space.

 _“I honestly have no idea what I’m doing.”_ He said after a moment, getting Nico’s attention once again (not like he didn’t have it in the first place). _“Calling you at three in the morning.”_

Nico laughed, running down the stairs of the complex to make sure Hazel wouldn’t overhear.

“I would say the same, though I’m babysitting some drunks. What’s yours?” Nico was surprised at how calm he sounded, when the sweat on his palms showed he was anything but.

He took a second to respond.

_“Don’t have one.”_

Nico bit back a scoff. “That’s nice,”

_“Not really, when you think about it.”_

Nico bit his lip to keep a laugh from escaping. He also found himself at the bottom of his stairs the ground level, and slowly sunk to the floor.

“So, uh, why _did_ you call me?”

Nico knew he sounded a bit weirded out and wanted to go back and re-say that sentence, though he didnt get the chance, because the boy was already talking again.  _“I don’t have a reason, other than the fact that you're my soulmate.”_  Nico had to refrain from snorting, though he knew he was still blushing. How that was possible he wasn’t quite sure, but obviously it wasn’t _im_ possible.

 _"I know it’s stupid,"_ he continued after a minute _. "Calling at three in the morning, but… guess I decided there’s no better time than now. Oh,”_ he seemed to be shifting. _“My name’s Will, by the way. Will Solace.”_

 _Will._ Nico tasted the name on his tongue. _Kinda common, don’t you think?_

“Nico.” He said instead, deciding the teasing was at for later time. “Nico di Angelo.”

 

They sat for a minute in silence.

Nico was okay with that. He found it comforting, somehow, just to listen to Will’s breathing. He’d always heard about it in books, movies, freaking _documentaries._ How you could never get bored with them. Soulmates, they mean. Nico always knew that was bullshit. Though, he could understand how it would be pretty hard to be bored if only listening to the other boy’s breathing was calming.

Oh God. He was already in too deep.

 _“Have you seen the sky?”_ Will inquired when the silence became a bit heavy.

Nico raised a brow, bringing his legs to his chest, burying his face in his knees. It was a wonder he was able to respond. He said: “No, why?”

 _“It’s beautiful,”_ Will responded with, his voice sounding breathless. Nico could almost imagine his face: mouth opened slightly, eyes open wide and pointed upwards towards the sky.

Nico raised a brow but got up anyway, turning to the window that was on the ground floor.

“Oh my God…” Nico whispered, looking upward with hazy eyes. Will chuckled at his response, though otherwise didn’t say much. Nico almost forgot he was on the phone. The sky was clear, something that was rare all on its own, and he could almost see the Milky Way from here. The purples and blues and dark pinks mixing.

 _“What’re you doing?”_ Will asked, causing Nico to blink out of his half-asleep state.

“Uh, what?”

_“What’re you doing? I have an idea,”_

Nico blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes and eventually backing away from his place at the window.

“I’m in the lobby of my apartment - why does this matter?”

_“Can you meet me at the coffee shop?”_

Nico blinked a few more times, made sure he was hearing correctly by asking Will to say it again, and eventually sighing loudly. As much as he wanted to go back to sleep, and as much as he _kinda_ wanted to just hang up and go pass out, he didn’t know what was going to happen next and was eager to find out.

Bad thought, yeah. Exploring Manhattan at _any_ time is hell, though Nico guessed he could make an exception.

“When?”

Nico could vaguely hear Will almost falling down, followed by a few swear words and something metal falling. _Was he climbing down a fire escape?_

_“Now.”_

“Oh course…” Nico tried to keep he annoyance out of his tone, though failed.

 _“See you there, di Angelo!”_ Will seemed to blanantly ignore the tone, instead being instantly happy.

Nico hung up.

_What the hell have I gotten myself into…_

 

Nico wasn’t sure what he was doing anymore.

He ran back up the staircase, up to his and Sally’s apartment, threw open the door, ran inside his room and promptly wondered what was going on in there.

Percy, Jason, and Piper were all passed out on the bunk bed. Piper and Jason were on the bottom, while Percy slept on the top in Nico's bed. Annabeth and Hazel were both asleep on the fluffy carpet. (Hazel always made a point to say the carpet was better to sleep on than the bed.)

_How the hell did they fall asleep so quickly? Or, the alternative: how long was I down there for?_

Nico tip-toed around the girls, going over and grabbing the first pair of jeans he found. Making sure they were relatively the same color he grabbed a pair of socks, a hair tie, shoes, and promptly went into a daze while putting it all on.

It was a miracle he made it out the front door in one piece.

His half-jog-half-sprint down the street was filled with blurry faces and blurry places. Street lights blinked on and off above him. With drunken kids and night owls rampaging throughout, he wasn’t sure why it was so calm.

Until, of course, he realized it was a Wednesday.

Manhattan is always busy, even at three in the morning. _Especially_ during the summer. So, tonight was no exception. It was still busy as hell, though not as much so since it was a weekday. Busier than the usual weekday, though not as busy as, say, yesterday.

He was glad that Will picked tonight of all nights to ask him to meet up. You know, besides _any other time_ than three in the morning. That would’ve been great as well.

Nico knew what he was doing, could feel his feet hit the sidewalk and the air turn to ice on his skin, though it still seemed like all this was a dream. Like in the morning he would wake up and immediately forget. Though, if this is a dream, he’ll damn well make the most of it.

It took him a little under half an hour to get to the shop. (He was sprinting like a motherfucker.) 

The lights were turned off, though he could still faintly read the light up sign outside the front door. You could barely read the store’s shop name, though Nico had been here plenty of times to know the name with no reading required.

“Hey!”

Nico spun, being met with the infamous - well, we all know who it was.

Will had just come from running down the sidewalk and now stood in front of Nico in all of his sweaty-teenage-glory. He was still wearing the flannel and shirt from earlier, though now in a pair of ratty old sweatpants with the words _Southern Kansas Baseball League_ on the sides in faded black ink. His hair wasn’t held back by anything, leaving it loose around his head. (But Nico soon realized that not everyone hadn’t hair long enough to tie back, and mentally facepalmed.) (He needed a haircut.)

Nico doesn’t remember if he’s looked at anyone that was more beautiful. How the moonlight and streetlight feel from above and hit the other boy in all the right places, illuminating his head but leaving his stomach and upper waist a mystery. How he had never seen anyone who had blue eyes bright enough to still look vibrant even in the darkness of night. How his tan was something you wouldn’t get much around New York unless you paid for it. 

Though he'd never admit that. Ever.

Will doubled over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. After a second he stood back up straight, running a hand through his hair to push it back.

Nico was still staring. After realizing this he cleared his throat, shuffling his feet for a second and pocketing his hands.

Will smiled shyly, clapping his hands loudly. Nico jumped a bit, looking back up at Will. He just smiled.

“Let’s do this,” Will said, loud and clear, though it sounded like a whisper in the busy streets. Nico rolled his eyes, brow raised, though barely got a good look at Will before he turned back around and began walking down the street again. Nico had to run to catch up to him.

“Why are we here, anyway?” Nico asked. Will shrugged.

“It’s the only place I know here.”

Nico shivered, curling his arms around his upper body, trying to trap all the heat inside his coat and shirt. “How long have you been here for, exactly?”

Will turned his head, looking down at the other boy (he was a good six inches taller). “‘Bout two days.”

Nico stared, wide-eyed, up at him. “Seriously?” Will nodded.

Shaking his head solemnly they continued down the street, taking turns and crossing the street without much talk between the two of them. Though, both were aware of the other giving them fleeting looks from the corners of their eyes. Nico would flush every time, having to tell himself to _calm the fuck down holy fuck_ while Will just smiled brightly.

Eventually they found themselves outside the gates of Central Park.

Central Park was _enormous._ Thousands of feet long and tons of square meters, Nico had been through every part. He’d been here before, back when he first came to America. In fact, this was one of the first place’s Sally had taken him. Nico still couldn’t speak much English, so his playmates were limited, though he didn’t really care. He didn’t play much anyway.

Will sat down on a bench, Nico following shortly afterward.

“I’m tired _,”_ Will complained, leaning his head on Nico’s shoulder. Nico could feel the heat traveling up his face though tried to fight it off (to no avail). He scoffed, trying to play off his flustered state, and hit Will’s shoulder playfully.

“Says the one that dragged me out into the middle of _downtown Manhattan_ at past three in the goddamn morning.”

Will’s head flew off of Nico’s shoulder - shooting Nico a raised brow - for only a moment before it was back. Nico just blushed again, though shook his head in dismay. Will could feel the heat traveling up Nico’s neck though didn’t comment.

“Question,” Will said, turning his head so his chin was now pressing into Nico’s shoulder. Nico turned his head downward, lips pressed, though nodded anyway. Will made a faint _humph_ and sighed. (They both tried to ignore how close their faces where now, though that was nearly impossible.)

“Are you from Italy?”

Nico scrunched his nose, giving Will a fleeting look before looking at the ground once more.

“Uh - y-yeah, Venice specifically. Did you not know that?”

Will shook his head, now his cheek at Nico’s shoulder. “Nope. Only knew this,” He tapped the tattoo on the space between his pointer finger and thumb on the back of his hand, “was the outline of Venice. I guess it would’ve been easy to just say _Venice,_ but, I don’t know.” He shrugged, tracing the outline of the city with his other hand. “Seemed too obvious.”

“Aren’t they _supposed_ to be obvious?” Nico asked. He didn’t actually want an answer, he just wanted to hear Will speak again. Something about his accent intrigued him. He hadn’t heard one before, one that wasn’t on TV, anyway, and was curious as to how the words formed on his tongue.

“I guess…” Will’s voice died out. “I just like a challenge. Like - like the crossword puzzles in the newspaper?”

Nico couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. He quickly covered up his mouth, though, trying not to laugh too hard. It wasn’t even that funny when you thought about it. It’s just - the situation, coupled with his lack of sleep, meant that literally anything at this point was funny.

“What’s so funny?” Will asked. Will knew what was funny, though. Him? Reading a _newspaper?_ He knew it was a bit outdated, though he still liked it. He knew it was stupid. He just wanted an excuse to hear Nico's laugh again.

(God, how could he already be so doomed?)

Nico couldn’t hold it in anymore; his hand fell from his mouth and he laughed, and laughed, and laughed.  _It’s not even that funny!_ he told himself, though that didn’t help.

Will took his head away from Nico’s shoulder, watching as he almost doubled over in laughter. Will knew it wasn’t that funny; Nico was just tired, though that wasn’t a good enough excuse as to why he drank in the scene: the way the moonlight hit his black hair in _just the right way._ How his face lit up with laughter. How his hoodie was obviously too big for him but he didn’t care. How - how everything about _this -_ this _laugh,_ this _boy,_ felt too good to be true.

How everything felt too good to be true.

Nico’s laughter slowly died down, and they both looked out into the street.

There weren’t many cars going down the street - well, not many according to the typical New York. Nearly no taxis. Though you could occasionally see the person walking by or the car speeding past. Will looked up at the streetlights, how they seemed so retro in the dark night.

They sat like that for a few minutes, cloaked in darkness, until Nico finally sighed. “I can’t do awkward introductions,” he said, mostly to Will, though partly to himself. Will smiled, bumping Nico’s shoulder lightly with his own.

“Me neither.”

They were silent for another few seconds.

“So…” Will began again. Nico huffed, turning on his spot so he was looking at Will. Will did the same.

“We’re soulmates,” Nico said, pointing between the two. Will nodded. “No need for _any_ of this to be awkward _._ At all. Because, honestly, we’re probably going to die together.”

Will’s neck got a bit red, though didn’t last for long. “Exactly.”

Nico huffed a bit, a small smile coming to his face. He held out his hand. “My name is Nico di Angelo. I’m eighteen, from Venice, Italy, and live with my Aunt Sally about an hour and a half from here.”

Will took his hand, though in a way that made it seem like they were in the middle of an arm wrestling match. Nico looked at their hands strangely though didn’t comment.

“My name is Will Solace. I’m seventeen, from gold old ‘Merica,” Nico smirked, and Will smiled back. “And live with my best friend, Lou, and her mother, Hecate, about a half hour from here.”

The exchanged a large smile.

+

Nico wasn’t sure when he got back to the apartment that night. Well, technically it was hella-early morning, but whatever.

All he did know, though, was that when he walked into the kitchen there were five cranky people waiting, and that the sun was beginning to peak against the horizon. Nico was genuinely surprised when Percy only came in with a beer in his system, and Jason totally sober along with Piper. It wasn’t that strange, though, considering Percy was staying with his mother _._

“How is Sally still asleep?” He could hear Hazel whisper to Annabeth. Annabeth just shrugged. Before she could say anything, though, Nico walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge door as though nothing was new.

“She probably pulled an all-nighter working on her book,” he got out some tea packets and started boiling a pot of water. He was tempted to go to sleep but decided against it for the time being. _This -_ this he wanted to see. “You’re aware she’s been working on it for almost six months, right? I’m pretty sure she’s almost done too,”

Hazel put a hand on her hip, pulling back the curtains in the kitchen so the light could shine through. "And _where_ have you been all night, mister?”

Nico raised a brow, not bothering to shield his eyes from the bright lights.

“What time is it?” He asked, ignoring Hazel's question.

“Six fifty,” Annabeth answered for him. Nico sent her a grateful look.

 _“Where,”_ Hazel emphasized, demanding to get recognized, “have you been?”

Nico shrugged, a mug from the top shelf. “Out,”

“No shit,” Hazel murmured.

Percy came out from the bathroom, scratching his head absentmindedly while the bottom of his shirt rode up. Nico winced at the sight, looking away while Annabeth rolled her eyes.

“When did little miss emo get home?” Percy asked, hitting Nico upside the head as he walked by. Nico responded by elbowing Percy in the stomach. Percy winced though didn’t double over, much to Nico’s hatred.

“When you got your head out of _your_ ass, Jackson,” Nico said, turning the heat on the stove to _fucking hot_ so he could get his drink faster. When he was done he waved to Percy and Hazel, as though shooing away some flies. “Can you please tell her to stop babying me? Tell her I’m an adult, too. Maybe that’ll get her from being up _my_ ass all day.”

“I’m right here!” Hazel said, waving her hands above her head. Nico just snorted, making a beeline for his phone to make sure it was still in his pocket. Thank fuckit was.

“Where were you, Nico? You had me scared,” Hazel said again. Nico just rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, right. You’d probably _want_ me dead so you could steal all my stuff.”

Hazel contemplated an answer for a second. “All though your stuff may be cool, I’d much rather have my brother here _alive.”_

Nico finally poured his drink, putting the small bag into the mug and grabbing a spoon. Once that was finished he went to sit at the table with Annabeth, and the other two followed.

Nico was humming a tune under his breath - something that he knew all the lyrics to but would absolutely _never admit_ \- and it was barely noticeable to anyone unless it was dead silent. He didn’t know he was doing it, though. Nico took a sip of his drink, oblivious for a second until he set the mug back down and wrapped his hands around it, savoring the warmth. He looked up at the group, who were all giving him weird looks.

“What?” He asked, looking down at his shirt, but found nothing. He just took another drink.

“Were you…” Percy gave him a look. “Were you _humming?”_

Nico’s raised a brow, shaking his head.

Percy still continued to give him a weird look. “No, you were humming.”

Hazel also looked confused. “Nico, why were you humming? And _what_ were you humming?”

Nico thought about it for a second, coming up with nothing, though after a second it bitch-slapped him across the face.

_William. Motherfucking Solace._

“Nothing,” he said, faking nonchalance, continuing to take a drink.

Annabeth was probably the only one in the room who wasn’t looking at him like he’d just admitted to being a renouned Catholic (he almost laughed at that). Annabeth was just drumming her fingers on the table in rapid succession.

“Was that _Accidentally in Love_ from _Shrek?”_

Percy sputtered. Hazel almost died of laughter, and Nico tried his damnedest to stop from blushing.

“I wasn’t humming,” he said, trying to play down suspicion. Percy shook his head, though, not buying a word.

“No, no I think Annabeth’s right. That _was_ a Shrek song!”

 _“Accidentally in Love,”_ Annabeth clarified, winking at Nico from over the top of her mug before taking a sip. “By Counting Crows, if I remember correctly,”

Nico decided now it was appropriate to curse Annabeth instead of his sibling.

“I’m gonna go wake up the lovebirds,” he said, trying to change the subject, but Hazel was having none of it.

“Nu uh, Nico di Angelo. You’re going to explain to me why you’re singing a Shrek song when you hate the movie.”

Nico ignored her (he didn't hate it; he'd never seen it), stomping into his bedroom and opening the door.

Hazel followed him in, though lowered her voice exceptionally to not disturb Jason and Piper, though that was the only reason Nico came in. To disturb them.

The two were sharing a bed, Jason with the entire blanket and Piper left with Jason’s sweatshirt. Nico would’ve found it admirable, Jason giving up his jacket to a stranger, though they both knew it was only because Piper was his soulmate. In any other circumstance, he would’ve left them to freeze.

“GET UP!” he screamed, ripping the blanket from Jason. Jason blinked awake, though Piper was still asleep. To make sure she was awake he took the pillow from under her head, hitting her with it for a second. Piper just grabbed the pillow, now awake, and put it back under her head, promptly falling back asleep.

“Oh my God,” he muttered, climbing up the bunk and collapsing backward onto the bed. Hazel was still beneath the bunks, staring up at Nico and back down at Piper, actually annoyed that they were going to sleep.

Nico flipped off Hazel, throwing himself under the covers and pulling them over his head. “Fuck off and let me sleep…” And those were his last words before falling asleep, lights on and the window still open, to the sound of Hazel’s bitching and Jason’s whining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my second time editing this, so be happy that my past-self's shitty grammar is dead.


	7. capitolo sette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *shrugs*  
> Edit: I'm starting to wonder why people even bother reading this when the grammar is /horrible/.

Will was slap happy.

Honestly, who _wouldn’t_ be slap happy?

He met his soulmate, something he was almost positive wasn't going to happen soon (don’t ask how he knew) and he was _freaking flying._

He knew that opinion wouldn’t be shared with many people. _Uh, he’s an angsty knock-off hipster that could probably kill someone with only glares?_ _What’s attractive about that?_

Uh, _everything?_ Maybe?

Will knew that Nico didn’t act like the walking definition of some serial killer that just _happens_ to look like the son of an ex-conman around _him._ Yeah, some extensive stalking at Hecate’s helped him realize that, perhaps, his soulmate is a complete asshole to some people. And, yeah, that was a bit scary, but now he _knows._ He knows Nico is an adorable little ball of red almost constantly when around him.

And if you don’t think he’s going to use that to his advantage, you’d be thinking wrong. Will plans to use this to his advantage at any point necessary.

Now, he knows Nico probably isn’t going to let him into his life yet. Honestly, only after one night (technically three hours and twenty-six minutes since he walked Nico home, but it’s not like he’s counting) of being kinda-together-but-not-really, Will wasn’t positive he wanted to tell Lou about him yet.

Obviously, it wasn’t like he had a _choice,_ though, since Lou has been his best friend since middle school and can tell when he’s gone out of his way to do something.

As soon as he walked in the door he was crowded by Lou Ellen. Hecate was probably at the shop since she liked to open it early and clean up the mouse trap’s she’d put in the night before, so it was _only Lou and Will._ That was a recipe for disaster if Will’s ever heard of one.

“Tell me _everything!”_ She said, dragging him to their bedroom. Will felt a bit weird, sharing a bed with someone who wasn’t his soulmate, but got over it quickly. Will, for one, is _not_ attracted to Lou. And he highly doubts Lou would come onto him when she had her own soulmate drama. So yeah, he was safe.

Will didn’t even bother trying to resist. He wasn’t going to say everything, obviously, but he did want to get _some_ of it off his chest. (Mostly to brag about the adorableness that was Nico di Angelo.)

She’d dragged in her own chair, allowing Will to lay on the bed by himself, and sat herself down. This vaguely reminded Will of being at a therapist’s, though he didn’t think that was a necessary thought, especially at the moment.

She grilled him dry; hair color, eye color, what it was like, what they did, why he got home so late (though that was unnecessary) what he wore (what?) and why he didn’t stay with him longer.

Will didn’t answer some of the questions she asked. Mostly because they were creepy, like what did Nico smell like, though also because he wanted to keep those secrets to himself. It was a special night! At least for him, it was, and he wasn’t going to go out spilling those thoughts like they were typical locker room talk. _Hell no._ He wasn’t planning on telling _anybody_ those details any time soon _._

Lou left soon after her interrogation. Something about having to change something or go somewhere, Will honestly didn’t pay attention. The only thing that sounded good to him was about twenty hours of sleep.

Will had never pulled an all-nighter. Yeah, he was _that_ kind of teen _._ The one that stayed inside the lines and never out of bounds. But, he had a feeling that with Nico di Angelo as his soulmate, he wouldn’t be staying that way for long.

But, of course, life couldn’t stay the same for long. That’s what he loved about it.

+

Nico woke up the next day.

Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Yell at him. He honestly had no fucks to give. Sleeping for almost twenty-four hours was _exhausting._ He just wanted to go back to sleep.

He wasn’t surprised he’d slept that long. That’s how he generally was; always a morning riser, even if it meant sleeping for too long. He honestly didn’t care that much. That meant that now he could probably go a day and a half without sleeping and get his schedule back on course.

(Yeah, like _that_ was going to happen.)

For the next few days, he had his phone almost constantly on him. He wasn’t very weary about it before, but now he almost always was. He didn’t want Hazel or Percy or Leo to get his phone and find a contact with the name _Solace_ and just _happen_ to call. Or maybe answer one of his calls. He wasn’t going to let that happen. As long as he was still walking, that phone would _never leave his side._

That is until your little sister gets a bit too intrusive.

Nico’s phone was across the room. He knew he should probably get it, but he was too lazy. His thoughts consisted of _Who’s going to call me? Or text me? I don’t have any friends, anyway, so what’s the bother?_

That’s when he realized he had a soulmate.

The two had been texting back and forth for a few days. Not that Nico was counting, but he was pretty sure it’s been about 98 hours since they’d last seen each other. And Nico was getting antsy.

Hazel was crashing with Sally and him once more. He found it a bit strange that the school would still allow her to stay at the school over summer break, though he didn’t question it much. Hazel’d explained how her mother had waved enough money so they would let her stay year long, and she just didn’t bother to tell her mom that she wasn't using it. She continuously said how much she loved her mother, she just knew that if she said she wasn’t staying there Marie would pull her back to New Orleans.

Anyway, back on track.

Nico’s phone rang.

Hazel and him both dove for it, something Nico didn’t do often but could manage, though Hazel got it first. She ran back into the bathroom, locking the door and sliding to the floor.

“Hello, person calling Nico,” she said, almost yelping when Nico kicked her through the door.

_“Give me my phone, Levesque!”_

“In your dreams, di Angelo!”

+

Will was just _calling his soulmate._ Nothing too big, right? Though, obviously, this was not true for Nico di Angelo and his family.

Some girl he didn’t know picked up and began talking to him through the phone. He could tell, though, from the muffled yelling of someone asking _‘Levesque’_ to give them back their phone and this girl yelling at _‘di Angelo’,_ that this was probably Nico’s sister.

Nico’s sister, Hazel Levesque.

He knew that they were siblings, though he didn’t really believe it at first. They looked nothing alikefrom what Will could tell. Well, the major point is that _they were two different races,_ though he didn’t doubt it for long. From what Nico told him, they were pretty similar in the personality department.

He clasped a hand over his mouth, trying to stop from laughing at the top of his lungs, and instead muffled it. Lou had gone out and gotten some fast food - something Will didn’t have on many occasions due to his mom being a health freak - and Hecate was still at the cafe, so he was home alone. Thank god, or who knows what Lou would’ve done to try to embarrass him.

 _“So,”_ Hazel began talking again, and Nico kicked something in response. Will guessed it was a door or wall.  _“Person by the name_ _Solace_ , _who’re you and what have you done to my brother?”_

Will snorted, trying to hold it back, but eventually just played it off as him doing something. Of course Hazel didn’t believe it, even Will had to know that, but it was nice how she didn’t comment on it.

“Uh, the better question is,” Will began, “what are you doing with his phone?”

 _“I stole it,”_ she responded easily. Will was beginning to see the family resemblance.

“That’s great to know. To answer your question, dear Hazel, is - ”

 _“How do you know my name?”_ she asked, cutting him off.

“He told me. Duh,” he said in lieu of _it's been on my arm for the past six months, so I hope I'd know it by now._

 _“Wow,_ really?” Hazel responded, sounding genuinely surprised.

Will raised a brow. “Uh, no. I just happen to stalk other seventeen-year-olds in my spare time.” his voice was cloaked in sarcasm and Hazel knew this, responding in another sarcastic tone.

_“Well, that’s great to know. I'm sixteen, anyway."_

“Thank you for understanding.”

They were silent for a few seconds. Well, _their_ conversation was silent for a few seconds, though Will could still hear the conversation Nico and her were having clear through the phone.

_“Give me the phone, Hazel!”_

_“Can I not just get to know your friend, Neeks?”_

_“Shut the fuck up and give me the phone!”_

_“Just let me ask one more question!”_

_“NO!”_

_“Too bad!”_

_“Solace,”_ she said, this one statement now being directed at the person in question. _“What’s your relationship with my brother?”_

Everything went silent.

Will raked his brain for an answer. _Would Nico be happy with him saying soulmates? Or does he want him to say friends? What about just acquaintances? What about neighbors, metaphorically? What about future lovers?_

Will went with the scaredy-cat route.

“Oh, I’m not answering that question.”

And Hazel blew up.

_“Oh my god, you guys are soulmates! Holy shit!”_

_“HAZEL LEVESQUE!”_

_“Okay, okay, just let me record this moment,”_ Will couldn’t hear what happened after, but next thing he knew he was on the phone with a panting Nico di Angelo.

 _“I’m so, so sorry about her,”_ he said, apparently breathless. Will just laughed, finally, and almost doubled over with the effort. After a few seconds of him almost dying he calmed down, sitting back up straight on his couch.

“No, no it’s fine. Now I understand what you mean when you say she’s like you.”

 _“I know, right?!”_ Nico shouted, before finally realizing what Will had said, and groaned. _“Oh, fuck off,”_

“Okay, Death Breath, calm down.”

 _“Don’t call me that,”_ Nico replied, and Will fake pouted.

“What about Death Boy?”

_“That’s worse.”_

“Kid Cool?”

_“Wasn’t that a cartoon?”_

“What about…” Will thought for a second. “Adonis?”

Nico seemed a bit confused. _“What? Why?”_

Will smiled, making a soft _humph,_ and shaking his head. “Not telling.” He wasn’t sure if he was happy or upset that Nico didn’t understand his Ancient Greek references.

_“You’re the worst, Solace,”_

“But you’re still stuck with me, are you not?”

Nico thought for a second.

_“Dont act so smug about it. That also means you're stuck with me.”_

 

They talked for about an hour or so before Will had the _excellent_ idea to meet up at Central Park. Though, this time, they made sure to get there before it closed.

Nico had to dodge Hazel on his way out, trying to sputter out why he had to go to some random place for a random reason. (aka: _No, Hazel, the sale’s only going to last another hour! : why do you care about a sale? : It’s for scented candles! : why do you - Nico!)_ (he was positive she already knew he was meeting up with Will, though she would save the teasing for later.)

When he got to the park about fifty minutes later, the entire place was packed _._

There were people out with picnic blankets, some with kids, others with just one other person. Nico guessed that they were soulmates since this is kinda the go-to place for couples, but he found himself imagining that as him and Will. He only let the thought last a few seconds, though, since he wasn’t sure he was up for that yet. Will, maybe, but not him.

He let his thoughts wander while he searched for Will across the acres.

It wasn’t that hard to find him, contrary to what he thought was going to happen. Will had told him earlier he was going to the smaller of the two lakes, and Nico had just walked. Yeah, there were two of relatively the same size so he had a fifty-fifty lottery, though - thank god - he picked the right one. (His primary mode of transportation was walking, so, for him, it wasn’t that big of a thing.)

Nico couldn’t find himself comparing Will to anything other than a lanky cat, bathing in the sun.

He was stretched out, _like a cat,_ facing towards the sky. He was wearing cut-off shorts and a graphic shirt, though no flannel this time. His hair was pushed back from his face, showing all the freckles spread across his nose. Nico could also partially see the ones on his neck and collarbone, leading down into his shirt.

Nico was in his basic attire; a black jacket, not zipped up, with a black skull shirt under it and ripped jeans.

And you want to know how he introduced himself?

Kicked Will in the side. Not hard, no, though enough to get a wince.

“What the hell, di Angelo?” Will asked, glaring up at Nico, though it didn’t give the desired effect since Will had to shield his eyes from the sun. Nico just smirked, standing beside Will on the grass before sitting criss-cross. Will murmured something unintelligible and sat up, looking out on the lake.

“Have you been here yet?” Nico asked, not really looking at Will. Will scrunched his brows, making him look a bit like a confused puppy, putting his feet straight out.

“Besides last time? Nope. Though, Lou did tell me it was something I had to see before we went to NYU in the fall.”

“Lou’s going as well?” Nico asked, blocking the sun with his hand.

“Yeah. Though she’s majoring in music and stuff.”

Nico snorted, “Great choice of words, coming from the medical professional.”

Will rolled his eyes, falling back once more onto the grass. “I”m not a professional.”

“Close enough.”

“Not even close, Nicholas,”

Nico shrugged, ripping grass from the ground beneath his feet. “Close enough in my book. And - what the fuck? That isn’t even my name.”

Will opened his eyes and looked at the sky. After a few minutes of silence, Will got bored and pulled on the back of Nico’s shirt, causing him to fall as well. Will didn’t get the glares Nico sent at him.

“Do you see the rabbit?” Will asked, eyes peering up at the sky. Nico looked up, trying to find the _‘Rabbit’,_ though couldn’t.

“No. Where is it?”

Will pointed up, though Nico saw it in a totally different direction from where Will was pointing.

“Now do you see it?”

“No, Solace, I don’t.”

Will groaned, taking Nico’s hand and pointing in the direction of the cloud. Nico pursed his lips, trying hard not to flush, and tried to find the cloud. “Now?” Will asked again, and even though he still couldn’t see it Nico nodded. Will sighed, dropping Nico’s hand and laying back down.

“You’re truly blind, di Angelo.”

Nico sputtered for a second, trying to regain his bearings, but in the end he just jabbed Will in the side. Once again Will winced, though didn’t say anything, just smiled.

“What’s got you so smiley?” Nico asked after a minute. Will turned to look at him, shrugged, and then just stared at him for a solid minute. After he realized the atmosphere he was creating ( _heartfelt looks never got anyone anywhere)_ he looked back up at the sky. Nico followed.

“Do you think…” Will asked, his question dying off after a second. After a minute’s consideration, he shook his head. “Never mind. Stupid question.”

“Solace,” Nico said. “Spit it out.”

Will shook his head.

 _“Solace,”_ Nico said again, a little more force to his tone, “tell me or I’m going to elbow you again.”

Will snorted, an easy smile on his face, and just sighed. “I was _going_ to say, do you think that everyone here is soulmates? Like, the groups of two.”

Nico shook his head. “No. I mean, some could be siblings or friends.”

Will scrunched his nose and brow, biting the inside of his lip. “I meant, do you think people date other people even if they’re not soulmates?”

Nico hummed, thoughtful, though eventually nodded. “I mean,” he said after a moment. “Maybe. But, like, why bother when you know they aren’t _the one?_ You know it’s gonna crash and burn, so why even try?”

Will gave Nico a weird look. “You sound like you’re talking from experience, Nico.”

Nico broke eye contact, looking out to the pond.

“Can we change the subject?” he asked, pulling his knees to his chest. Will took a second.

“Yeah, of course.”

They sat like that for a few seconds, looking out onto the lake. They could hear the birds chirping above them, and groups of children running out with their friends a few feet away. Nico found himself staring at a family of four. There was a mother and father, holding hands under one of the trees, and the two kids were diving out from other trees around the two. The boy was the younger one, his older sister chasing him around the trees. Nico couldn’t help but imagine them as him and Bianca; going ‘round and ‘round trees back in Venice, chasing each other. The girl even began to climb a tree like Bianca used to do, only to freak Nico out of course.

Nico looked back at Will’s mark.

He was amazed at how he could wear it so proudly. How the faces that danced across his skin, how he couldn’t be curious about their stories. Bianca’s story. Maria’s story. Hazel’s story.

_How could he not ask?_

“How come you haven’t asked me about Bianca?”

Will blinked up at Nico, raising a brow. After a second Will tried to come up with an answer. “I mean, it’s not my business to ask.”

“They’re on _your skin._ Of course it's your business.”

“I mean it’s _none of my business._ You can tell me if and when you want. Right now? You can tell me, but only if you want.”

Nico grabbed Will’s wrist, turning his arm over to expose Bianca’s face.

Nico could read the words painted on her skin. Well, her face, Will’s skin. It looked _so much like her._ More lifelike than any of the photos on his ceiling and walls back at home. More alive… more alive than he’s seen her in years.

He ran a finger across her forehead, as though hoping she would pop back to life. No such thing.

After a second he looked at Maria’s photo.

Nico remembered some things about his mother. Like the way she danced across the kitchen floor when her favorite song would play, or when she and Hades would walk through the park and Nico would run through their intertwined hands, trying to get them to fall down.

He loved his mother. He always would.

But, he didn’t know her as much as he knew Bianca. He knew Bianca’s worst fears. Her best dreams. What she wanted to be when she grew up.

He didn’t know Maria’s worst fear. And _that_ was his worst fear come to life. Not knowing someone before they leave.

“‘C’mon,” Will said, standing up and grabbing Nico’s hand. Nico followed silently, wordlessly, and didn’t respond when Will threaded their fingers together. All he did was squeeze back when Will squeezed his hand. Showing him he knew what was happening.

Will didn’t say anything, just dragged Nico throughout Manhattan, past shops and restaurants and happy couples making their rounds in town. Until he came across the place that he knew Nico would appreciate being at.

McDonald’s.

Nico raised a brow. “McDonald’s?”

Will smiled back at him, his whole face lighting up. “Yeah. You love this place, do you not?”

Nico blinked a few times, a bit dazed. How far had they walked? “I guess,”

“Really?” Will asked, pulling his left arm up to a bird’s eye view and showing off a tattoo of a McDonald’s Happy Meal.

Nico laughed, his entire face going red, and would’ve continued laughing if Will didn’t elbow him. He only let this stun him for a second, though, before trying to suppress his laughter.

“I’ve had that for like six months,” Will admitted, pushing the doors open and pulling them inside. “You freaking sadist.”

That just caused Nico to laugh harder. He had to hold it back though, since this McDonald’s was _packed._

“I know a better place,” he said after a glimpse at the line. “Less packed.”

Will wanted to ask where they were going but was cut off by Nico pulling them out of the traffic, and out into the rush of the sidewalks once again.

It wasn’t as crowded as during rush hour, it was only maybe two-thirty at this point, but it was still pretty busy. Will almost got lost twice, resulting in Nico almost dying of laughter every time they had to hold their interlocked hands above the tons of people around them. (It reminded Nico of a movie scene: their hands held above a group of people, making them stand out more. He almost expected people to break out into song.)

They eventually made it to the other McDonald’s.

“This is literally the same restaurant we were at half an hour ago.” Will complained as Nico pulled him inside.

“Yeah, but this one is rarely crowded due to where it is.”

Nico was right, because when they entered the restaurant there were only about five other families in there, maybr twenty people in total. Nico dragged Will to the front of the store and called for Cecil.

“Hey, di Angelo,” Cecil said on his way out, raking one hand through his brown hair before slamming both down beside the register. “I’m guessing you still want a Happy Meal?”

Nico’s neck got a bit red, but that was about it. He nodded meekly and Cecil turned to Will.

“What do ya need?” he asked, staring down at the register. He had a very stereotypical New York accent - the only one with a more prominant one was Hecate.

“Uh, I’ll get the same as Death Breath,” he said. And, as you can guess, Nico elbowed him. Will just smiled in response, though. Cecil eyed the two, eyes drifting down to their hands before smiling a bit wider.

“So, Nico, when are you gonna tell Hazel about you meeting Mr. Gorgeous over there?”

Will snorted though tried to cover it up with a cough. Nico stared at Will with a burning hatred, though didn’t let go of his hand, and just groaned at Cecil’s words. “She knows he exists if that's what you're asking. She has only had a few words with him over the phone, though, and I hope that doesn't change in the near future. Maybe. I'm too scared she'll kill me if it doesn't happen soon, though.”

Cecil shivered, going into the back for a second before coming back out with the two boxes. “She scares me,” he said, placing both onto a tray with two large cups. “You know, I think she would like a friend of mine.”

“Cecil Markowitz, are you trying to get my sister a date?”

Cecil snorted. “Uh, no. But, seriously, I think they may be soulmates.”

Nico perked up. “What makes you say that?”

“He has a tattoo of your face on his arm. Does that say enough?”

Nico sighed, feeling bad for the guy with his face on his arm, and took the tray.

“You know,” he stopped for a second with the tray in hand. “I feel bad for him. He’s _Hazel’s soulmate?_ Jesus, he’s gotta have a _pretty_ high self-esteem. And if he doesn’t? She’ll eat him alive.”

Cecil laughed, agreeing.

They strolled into the far back corner, where they could get as much privacy as possible aside from the windows, and plopped down across from one another. They could see people passing by. Sometimes only one person, sometimes two, and sometimes twenty.

“You’ve been here so much,” Will said, snapping Nico from his daily task of what he likes to call ‘People Watching’. “That you befriended the cashier…”

Nico reached across the table and tried to hit Will though Will just grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers again and slamming it back on the table.

“You’re _really_ abusive,” Will remarked. Nico just blushed slightly, trying to open his box.

“Will,” he said after a minute. “I need my hand.”

Will just shrugged. “Too bad.”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Will asked, trying to put on a serious face though promptly failing while right next to a Happy Meal.

“No. You just look like an idiot.”

Will threw a fry at Nico. Nico threw one back. They eventually had to stop, since they were getting weird looks from the other people there.

They talked about something and nothing and everything in between. They mocked the people who walked by with no fashion sense. Made up backstories for others, purely for entertainment. They saw someone running down the street and instead of being sane people, they made up a story of how he was running from the Russian mob.

They had fun.

Eventually, though, they had to head home.

Running through the streets, trying to get back to Nico’s apartment through rush hour, trying to run away from people that they’ve pissed off by colliding into, it was a miracle they only made it back in an hour and a half.

Yes, they stayed for almost an hour in a McDonald’s.

Did they care?

Nope.

When they finally crashed into the complex and trudged up the stairs it was nearly five in the afternoon. The sun was still high in the sky, not going down until around eight, and people were still buzzing around outside. Sally probably wasn’t back from work yet, and Hazel was probably (hopefully) out with Piper and Leo, and maybe, _just maybe,_ Nico would have the apartment to himself until Sally got back.

Maybe. (Hopefully.)

When they got up to the apartment, both done huffing and puffing from all the running they’d just done, they stood awkwardly outside for a moment or so. Neither knew how to bring up the subject. So, Nico, being as blunt as ever, just dragged Will into the apartment and shut the door behind him.

“Take off your shoes,” he said, discarding his white converse at the door. Will noticed there were small doodles on the sides, something that definitely _wasn’t_ in Nico’s handwriting, though there were pictures of stick figures impaling each other, a few words in Italian that _were_ in his handwriting, though mostly the last moments of stick figures. Will was beginning to feel bad for them.

He took off his basic black converse (with nothing in Sharpie on his because he’s not that creative) and dumped them beside Nico’s.

“How many people live here, again?” Will asked, walking across the wooden floor.

“Only Sally and I,” Nico replies, making his way across the apartment to the kitchen. “Though Percy stays here during summer break when he’s not in California.”

Will nodded, looking at the picture frames from around the living room. They were mostly on the walls, held up by those command strip things. He found that most of them were of a tall tan boy with black hair, probably this Percy character, with sea green eyes, once or twice with a blonde girl on his arm. Though there were a few, not little but not many, of a small, scrawny thirteen-year-old boy with jet black hair and brown eyes, lying in a grassy field, looking upward towards the sky or seemingly begrudgingly standing beside the other boy.

“Hey, is this Percy _Jackson?”_ Will asked, as though Percy was a really popular name.

“Yeah. Why?” Nico shouted back.

“Nothing. Just a name on my arm.”

Will could hear Nico’s groan from across the apartment.

“How many tattoos do you _have?”_ Nico asked a few minutes later, walking into the room with a mug. Will just shrugged.

“Not sure. Just barely past my elbow. They’re a lot bigger than most other people’s, though not necessarily _a lot._ How many do you have?”

Nico shrugged, placing the mug on the coffee table and pulling off his jacket.

 _This is the first time I’ve seen his mark,_ Will realized.

There were small ones that lined up Nico’s forearm. They weren’t nearly as big as Will’s, mind you, a lot smaller, so they took up less space. Will could see the infamous baseball glove with his mother’s name on it, along with Austin, Kayla and Lou’s names as well. There was a picture of the sign to Lou’s family restaurant back in Kansas, along with the state of New York. Will laughed at that, gingerly brushing his fingers across it.

“You really love New York, don’t you?” Nico asked, also watching the mark. Will gave Nico (another, because he’s gotten a lot of those today) weird look.

“Do you not look at it often?” he asked, watching as Nico spun his arm around. He shook his head, shrugging a bit.

“Why _not?”_ Will asked, sounding surprised. Nico raised a brow at his remark, a small smirk on his face.

“Are you upset that I don’t?” Amusement was the key part of his tone, though Will could hear a bit of curiosity too. Maybe some anticipation for something negative, since he wasn’t closing in on himself a bit.

Will shook his head, not even lying a little bit, but still looked Nico in the eyes when he said: “I almost never wore long sleeves. Most people didn’t believe me when I said I had a soulmate, and I got my marks when I was ten so it was even more unbelievable. Just, thought I’d show them off, I guess.”

Nico shook his head, dropping his arm. “I never showed mine off. I felt as though it was mine and mine only, not for the public eye.”

“Like a mural?” Will asked. Nico nodded.

“Like the most expensive painting in the world. I almost never even took off my jacket at home in fear of someone seeing it.”

Will laughed. He'd never thought of it like that.

They talked for a bit more about the stories behind every tattoo on both of their arms. Nico talked about one with Maria’s favorite song, a tattoo with the Shakespearean plays. Will talked about the baseball mitt, even though he hated baseball. Kinda like the stories you hear at AA meetings. Kinda the same stories, though each with their own twist. And, in their case, much more heartfelt and with a different feeling.

Eventually they got a thing of popcorn and migrated to Nico’s room. It wasn’t as awkward as one would anticipate, going into a date’s (was this a date?) room. It was calm, even. Peaceful.

Nico showed Will where he would sit late at night, and watch the pink ribbon on his arm dance across his skin. The tattoo still hadn’t stopped, Nico realized.  It was still changing rapidly. Will had, a bit awkwardly might he add, felt Nico’s skin dance under his arm as the ink moved. The ink wasn’t _above_ skin. It was _underneath_ the skin. In everyone’s very own genetic structure. It couldn’t leave even if it wanted too. Will found it fascinating, how someone’s tattoo was ever moving.

They were sitting in front of the window, now. The sun had gone down not too long ago, leaving the two boys basked in the light of the moon.

Will found himself staring at Nico.

His hair was reflective of the light. Will wasn’t sure if it was greasy or just something that happened with Nico’s hair, but regardless it made him look like an angel. He was still wearing the skull shirt, though that didn’t diminish Will’s thoughts. They were sat beside one another, Nico leaning on Will’s arm for support (he was that tired), legs crossed underneath him on the desk. Yeah, they were still on the desk. Will was honestly surprised they hadn’t broken it yet.

Nico was looking out the window.

People were still walking around beneath them. If it was a drug deal or a romantic walk Nico wasn’t sure, though he tried to make the situation as happy as possible, so the romantic walk theory won. The tops of buildings seemed to dance with the way the moonlight reflected off them.

“Nico…” Will whispered. Nico looked up.

They both looked tired. Exhausted may be the better term. Nico still had a mischievous look in his eyes, and Will still had the pool of happiness behind his.

“Yeah, Will?”

They were staring at each other.

Will pursed his lips, swallowing something from his mouth that wasn’t even there, and continued looking at Nico. Nico, though, caught himself staring at Will’s lips.

“Uh…” Will whispered again. “Can… can I kiss you?”

Nico blinked up at Will, a small smile on his face. He looked confused, as though he didn’t understand why Will even felt the need to ask.

“Don’t need be dumb,” he responded, grabbing the front of his shirt lazily. It was more of a whisper of a grab than an actual one - he was tired, for one, and he also wanted to give Will a chance to pull away ignore he wanted. He didn’t, though, so Nico pulled him down slowly.

Their first kiss wasn’t something to be in the history books. It wasn’t in the middle of a busy street, or in the middle of a rain storm, dancing in puddles.

It was of two boys, sitting on top of a desk that was older than life itself, at almost ten at night, tired from all the exploring they had endured and the things they had done.

Nico tasted like happiness, Will decided. Peppermint, probably from the tea he had earlier, still on his tongue. His lips were cracked and dry, though Will didn’t care.

Will tasted like happiness, Nico decided. He had Mountain Dew earlier, so he could just get a hint of that. Will’s lips weren’t cracked and dry - they were soft, painfully so, and felt like what Nico believed walking in zero gravity would feel like.

It wasn’t the best kiss they had. But it was, by far, the one that they would remember for the rest of their days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! This fanfiction was only planned to have eight chapters, no epilogue, but I was curious....
> 
> What would yall want to see in an epilogue? Like their marriage ceremony (honestly I might come up with something /similar/ though not that specifically but whatever), a proposal, a brief summary of their lives up until someone proposes, what? Let me know. I'm kinda dying here


	8. Capitolo Otto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> honestly im just wanting to get this show on the road man LET'S GO  
> Edit: I'm screaming because I have the epilogue written but I cant post it until tomorrow and it's short but dONT KILL ME

Nico wasn’t sure if he was glad he locked the door, or more upset.

He wasn’t sure what time they’d fallen asleep the following night. Probably around ten, though it felt like two. He (being Nico) had locked the door the following night, making _fucking sure_ it was locked since some nights it didn’t shut properly, leaving Percy or Hazel to walk in, making awkward moments. Like when he was changing.

They woke at around eight thirty the next morning, Will’s arm wrapped around Nico’s lower stomach, pulling him towards Will. Nico didn’t mind, truly. The only problem was that it was a bit cold. He wasn’t sure when exactly he’d put on his jacket again, though he was kinda thankful since at some point during the night he’d kicked the blanket away, leaving them in pajama pants and shirts, exposed to the open air.

Nico reached forward, careful not to disturb the sleeping wildebeest (aka Will), grabbing the blanket and throwing it over the two. He turned ever so slightly, once again not to awake Will, and stared at his face under the light of the sun.

Nico’s hair was pulled back, making sure it didn’t get tangled around his face in the middle of the night. Will however couldn’t have pulled it back even if he wanted and, since he was sleeping, his hair was free, and now in front of Nico.

His blonde locks crowded his face, giving him a ring of sun around his head, though Nico was a bit confused as to how that would be. Yes, the window’s curtains weren’t pulled back, but it was almost impossible for the sun to hit him like that.

That was when he realized they must've fallen asleep on the bottom bunk. That would make the halo on his head thing more believable, Nico thought to himself.

Will was still wearing the shirt from yesterday, though Nico wasn’t sure how he hadn't noticed that it featured the words _Hair Goals_ above four silhouettes of hair from Disney princesses. He rolled his eyes and chuckled, leaning forward and burying his face into Will’s collarbone.

This caused Will to wake up.

Will yawned, almost turning over, though he soon realized Nico was in front of him. Confused for a second, it took a moment before last night’s events came rushing back to him. Smiling faintly he shifted, repositioning them so that Nico’s head was tucked under his chin. Will closed his eyes, perfectly content with falling back asleep, though Nico yawned.

“You smell like shit,” he murmured, moving back again to Will’s collarbone. Will just rolled his eyes, content with plopping his head back onto the pillow.

“And you have morning breath,” he remarked, nudging Nico’s head with his own. His voice came out raspy, that cliche voice that no one needs explaining about, and he yawned soon after.

“Can I fall back asleep now?” Will asked after a moment. Nico considered it, though now that he thought about it, the outside of the apartment was suspiciously quiet.

“Why is it so quiet?” Nico whispered. Will tried to shrug, though Nico’s head was kinda in the way, so it was more of a minor shaking of his shoulders.

“Don’t question it." He said. "Percy probably just fell asleep on the couch.”

Nico was tempted to push again though instead settled for sighing quietly, closing his eyes again. He knew he wasn’t going to fall asleep again, and neither was Will, so they just laid in silence for a few minutes. Nico felt strangely relaxed by the constant movement of Will’s chest falling up and down, matching his breathing.

Will hummed after a minute, causing Nico to glance at him, pulling back a bit.

“Can’t fall asleep either?” Nico asked.

Will’s eyes were still shut though he nodded, leaning forward and connecting their foreheads. Nico raised a brow, smiling a bit, before rolling his eyes and slowly shutting them once more.

“We’re going to have to get up at some point, aren’t we?” Will asked. Had he even opened his eyes yet?

“I would like to think not…” Nico unknowingly whispered, causing Will to open one of his eyes.

“Why are we whispering?” he asked Nico in the same tone of voice. Nico also cracked open one eye, laughing a bit.

“Because it makes me feel important,” Nico said, still whispering.

“You’re always important, Nico,” Will murmured, both eyes now open. “To me, at least.”

Nico wasn’t sure what to say. He could feel his face burning slightly though tried to _shut that shit down,_ though to no avail. Eventually, he just groaned, grabbing the pillow from under Will’s head and pushing it in Will’s face. Will was, understandably, a bit caught off guard, though eventually just laughed into it.

“Too sappy,” Nico murmured, also smiling brightly. “Too sappy for this early in the morning.”

Will just grabbed the pillow, instead shoving it back into Nico’s face. Nico groaned, grabbing the pillow and throwing it down to the foot of the bed.

They laid their head on the mattress.

“I want pancakes,” Will murmured, staring at Nico, as though expecting him to jump up and make them. Nico just snorted.

“Then make some damn pancakes.”

“I don’t know where all the stuff is.”

“Figure it out.”

“I don’t _wanna…”_

Nico groaned, flipping over so that he was facing away from Will. Will laughed quietly, wrapping his arms around Nico’s waist and pulling him against him. Nico squealed, thrashing for a bit before Will did what not even a dead man could.

He licked Nico’s neck.

It wasn’t even in a romantic way; it was _disgusting._ Will knew it too, so that’s why when Nico jumped up and raced away, Will shouted down the hallway:  _“I want blueberries in my pancakes!”_

_“Fuck you, Solace!”_

_“I’m too tired, di Angelo!”_

+

Will nearly didn’t get any blueberries in his pancakes. Though, if it were up to Nico, he would’ve had normal ones.

Nico had to be quiet while rummaging around the kitchen since, like Will had predicted, Percy was passed out on the couch. Annabeth laid on the other end of the same one. Hazel was nowhere to be seen, probably passed out at Piper’s. No, actually, probably Leo’s. That’s more believable since Grace and McLean had met.

Nico wasn’t sure if he added the correct amount of ingredients to the pancake batter. He hadn’t made the damn recipe in months so he was a bit rusty. But, on the brighter side, at least he found the measuring cup! Last time he just guessed his accuracy towards how much he poured.

Will came out about half an hour later, hair flying around his face and in sweatpants he found on the floor (because he could, and if he could he would) (even though they rode up to his mid shin he was okay with it since _they were so soft Jesus Christ_ ), and walked into the kitchen like he owned the place.

“Nico, where are the eggs?” he asked while pulling open the fridge door, having to bend over to look in properly.

Nico just walked over to the cabinets, reaching up and grabbing two mugs, going back after a second to get three more. “If they’re even there they’d be in the door.”

Will looked over, grabbing the carton of eggs and going over to the small counter, placing them beside the coffee maker.

“Do you have cheese?”

“Pull out drawer,”

And before you could even process what was happening, the two were dancing across each other to get from place to place in the kitchen. Will would hold objects in the air so Nico could run under him to get to the fridge and Nico standing as flat as he could against the counter as Will walked past.

Will was apparently making scrambled eggs.

Nico was trying his best not to burn the pancakes.

About half an hour later Will and Nico walked out of the kitchen, two bowls for Will and two plates of pancakes for Nico, and placed them in the center of the table.

“You get the lovebirds over there,” Nico gestured vaguely to Annabeth and Percy. “And I’ll get Sally.”

Will hummed, snapping his fingers repeatedly before pointing at Nico. “Sounds like a deal.” Nico flipped him off.

As Will went over to the couches Nico knocked on Sally’s door, slowly opening after a few knocks and walked over to her bedside. The curtains were drawn back, giving the room an eerie light, and he shook her shoulder lightly.

“Sally,” he whispered, trying not to be too loud. “Sally, wake up.”

Sally soon stirred awake, blinked for a few seconds before finally zeroing in on Nico.

“Nico,” she murmured, her voice cracking slightly. “What - What time is it?”

“Nine,” he said simply, standing back and allowing her to throw back the covers. He was always marveled how she could do that - flip over the covers with almost no effort and no need to complain. Even _he_ knew he was a pain in the ass to get up before school.

“Uh - Sally, wait.”

She paused, looking up and giving him a confused look. “Yeah, Nico?”

He pursed his lips, not sure how to say it exactly, ringing his hands like dish towels in front of him. He looked agitated, scared even, and Sally picked up on it.

“Nico, is everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he rushed to assure her. “It’s just, uh,”

It was odd, saying this to her face. She was the only motherly figure Nico had since his mother died - he couldn’t upset her.

“There’s, uh, someone here," he stated, though it sounded more like a question, “and, uh, I just don’t want you to freak out when you see him.”

Sally wanted to question him though didn’t, seeing how hard it was for him to say that. She just smiled softly, standing up slowly and following him up the door.

Will was dishing out utensils, trying hard not to put the plates down too hard since they looked more expensive than his paper plates from home, quickly grabbing forks and stuff from the drawer. Annabeth was up with him, helping get some things that he would forget. Percy was still asleep on the couch.

Nico walked over, yelling in his ear to _GET THE HECK UP!_ (Sally was right by him! He wasn’t going to say anything too inappropriate) before walking over and getting a cup of coffee.

“You are aware that eating an apple is better, right?” Will asked him on the way out. Nico scrunched up his face, shaking his head no.

“Well, they are.” Will remarked, gesturing to his whole coffee chemistry set. “Apples give more energy in the mornings than coffee does.”

“Says the not-medical-genius.”

“I don’t need to be a genius to know that, Death Breath. Can you _please_ take a mint?”

Nico turned and stuck his tongue out at Will. Will returned the gesture before spinning back around, noticeably taking a mug from where Nico hasn’t put them earlier and walking over to the fridge to get some orange juice. Nico winced as he saw him pull out the jug.

“You actually _drink_ orange juice?” Nico asked, eyeing the jug like it just committed a felony. Will snorted.

“That’s kinda the point of orange juice, Nico,”

“That stuff’s gross.”

“We each have our own opinions.”

“Yeah, well your opinion is wrong.”

“An opinion can’t be wrong.”

“Well, looks like yours is.”

“That’s not - ”

“Whatever. I just want to eat.”

Nico and Will continued their small bickering while they unconsciously carried cups to the table, each toward their designated person. Annabeth was a bit confused by the entire thing, wondering who this kid was, though Percy knew who it was. Sally was just smiling at them, happy that her small Nico had grown up, finally meeting his soulmate. She had enough motherly intuition to know when Nico had found his soulmate. If the constant texting wasn’t one major thing, the common throwing-of-the-phone-and-then-rushing-over-to-get-it thing would've been the dead giveaway.

When they finally sat down everyone dug in, Will grabbing one bowl of eggs and Annabeth grabbing the other. There were five people and four chairs, so Will kneeled on the floor. Annabeth dished her eggs, passing her plate to Sally, Sally to Nico, so on and so forth.

It was a bit strange, some would think, how three people who were strangers to one and one who didn’t know the other three could work so well together, all while unaware it was happening. Sally almost hit Percy every time he spoke with his mouth open, Nico laughing at him from across the round table.

It was simple, Will thinks. Simple and loving.

“So,” Sally asked, gesturing to both Nico and Will with her spork. “Who made the eggs?”

Will raised his hand dumbly, pointer finger, middle finger, and thumb all stood straight and the other two bent.

“Where in the world,” Sally asked, “did you get the recipe?”

Will smiled, covering his mouth with the back of his hand and swallowing. “Uh, kinda a family thing,” he admitted, brushing the back of his hand on his pants and looking Sally in the eyes. “My grandma modified a recipe from a cookbook and this was the result.”

Sally nodded slowly, smiling at Will from across the table. “You have to give me the recipe. These are _amazing.”_

Will laughed, nodding back at her. “Sure will, Miss. Jackson.”

“Please,” she said, “my friend’s call me Sally.”

Will smiled again. “Okay then. _Sally,_ I’ll get it to you before I leave.”

Nico watched the exchange, smiling softly though trying to mask it. He loved how they were all getting along. It was almost like Will was always there, always part of the conversation.

“So,” Annabeth started again. “Are you both attending NYU?”

Nico tried not to compare her to another mother, though found himself doing so anyway.

“Uh, yeah,” Nico said, gesturing to himself meekly. “I’m majoring in Psychology. Will, medical person things.”

“Medical studies,”

“Same thing.”

“There are _tons_ of different types of medical professionals, Nico - ”

“I hope you realized I’ve tuned you out, Solace,”

Will just rolled his eyes, giving Sally a look like _are you hearing this?_ Percy snorted, taking a drink of his whatever-he-got, and giving the two looks over his glass.

“You two argue like an old married couple,” he said, taking another swig. Nico had expected to freeze up, start stuttering, but found himself just daydreaming. About him and Will as an old married couple, that is. It was a bit weird, thinking of yourself as an old man, but he enjoyed what he saw.

“I guess so,” Nico said, stabbing another pancake and dipping it in syrup. “But at least I’m not dating someone who acts more like my mom than my boyfriend.”

Will stopped eating for a second, giving Nico a look from his peripheral vision.

“Since when are we boyfriends?” he asked, raising a brow. Nico looked over at him, his face flushing, though he didn’t talk like he was practically _dying_ of embarrassment on the inside.

“Since now, Solace,”

Will just sighed, getting a spoonful of eggs and eating it. Percy raised a brow at him, shaking his spoon at the two. “Are you not going to respond?” he asked, expecting Will to say something in return. Anything, really.

Will just shook his head, gesturing to Nico’s face and neck, which were still bright red. “Nope. He embarrassed himself enough. I’ll say something later, he’ll jump, it’ll be amazing.”

Nico glared at him, taking a spoonful of egg and flicking it at Will. Will didn’t do anything besides filling his own spoon and flicked it back at him. Sally had to yell at them to stop messing around and to finish their breakfast.

Somehow they got onto the topic of favorite movies. Don’t ask Will how it happened, since he had spaced out a bit, but suddenly people were asking him said question.

“Uh,” he said for a second, racking his brain. “I would have to say Heathers.”

Sally pointed a finger at him. “I’d have to disagree. I didn’t really like the plotline.”

“Well,” Will said, “let’s just agree to disagree.”

“Wait,” Nico said, looking a bit confused. “What’s _Heathers?”_

Will almost spat out his drink. Annabeth looked a bit shocked at his reaction, same with Percy, as they just watched him almost die. Nico hit his back, not wanting his soulmate to die, and slowly Will calmed down.

“We’re watching it.” He said, motioning with his fork towards the table, telling them that this was happening no matter what. “Tonight, all of us are watching it. Nu uh!” he said, clasping his hand over Nico’s mouth as he began to protest. “We’re watching it, and you can’t do a thing to change it.”

Nico licked Will’s hand, though Will pulled away a few seconds later with a, “I have a younger sister, I know how to survive you licking my palm.”

Nico just groaned, rolling his eyes and going back to eating.

“What’s this alleged movie about, anyway?” Annabeth asked, cleaning up her place at the table.

Will smiled, also cleaning up his plate.

“Okay, it’s about this girl, Veronica, is  friends with the popular girls, right? Well, after meeting this sociopathic badass - sorry, Sally, - JD…” Annabeth and Will migrated to the kitchen, cleaning off their plates and such, while Sally, Percy, and Nico stayed at the table.

“He’s a nice boy,” Sally said, smiling at Nico from across the table. Nico just bit the inside of his lip, trying to keep from bursting into delighted laughter. “I’m glad you two found one another.”

Nico nodded, not trusting himself to say anything, and just went back to picking at his food.

Sally liked Will.

The entire world could’ve blown up at that moment and he would’ve been okay with it.

Because finally, _finally,_ things were going his way.

_Finally._

(Okay, so because of that the world exploding might've sucked.) (Though Nico decided to look past that for dramatic affect.)

_+_

Will was almost positive he could fall in love with Nico di Angelo.

He wasn’t sure if that was happening now, as they sat beside each other on the couch beside Annabeth and Percy, watching a movie from the 80’s. Percy had fallen asleep a few minutes ago, head in Annabeth’s lap. She was raking her fingers through his hair. Whenever she would stop he would whimper in his sleep, causing her to roll her eyes, a small smile on her face, and continue tracing his scalp with her left hand, right hand holding up her head as she watched the movie.

Nico had his head settled on Will’s shoulder, nothing more than holding hands. Did Will wish for more? No, not really. He thought he should be jealous of Percy and Annabeth’s relationship, but he wasn’t. He thought that relationship with Nico was more than enough. He didn’t need the clichè stuff that other couples did. He just needed Nico by his side, and he was sure everything else would fall into place.

(And, to be completely honest, Nico didn’t seem too fond of it - he wasn’t one for too much contact, Will had realized, unless he hasn’t a say in it. And, for some reason he didn’t want too much contact at the moment, and Will was okay with that.) (Nico’s comfort was more important than what he had expected to happen.) 

Will was almost positive he’d passed out already. He wasn’t sure how Nico could miss out on this _masterpiece of a movie,_ though he didn’t mind, honestly. He spared a look across the couch to Annabeth, who was still watching the movie intently, though she looked over at Will as well.

“Do you think they're asleep?” Will whispered, trying to get a look at Nico’s face. Annabeth shrugged, reaching forward and grabbing the remote from off the coffee table.

“Probably,” she muttered, tossing the remote back after she was finished turning off the TV. Will flinched at the sound it made when it hit the counter. He yawned, covering his mouth with his free hand, slowly taking his hand from Nico’s and getting up from the couch. Annabeth followed, though Percy almost completely woke up as she walked away.

They had decided to wait until the sun went down to start the movie, and in consequence, it was around 9-10 now. Lou had texted him earlier, saying how he had to get back soon, so he knew it was best to get going. Didn’t he have a shift tomorrow, anyway?

“Tell Percy I bid him goodbye,” Will said, grabbing his wallet from the bedroom before making his way to the front door.

“Why’re you leaving?” Annabeth asked, throwing a blanket over Percy and Nico. Nico immediately grabbed the end, bringing it up to his chin and curling in slightly. Percy didn’t even seem to acknowledged the change.

Will sighed. “Lou said that I have a morning shift at the shop tomorrow,” he muttered, waving bye at the door. Annabeth waved back, disappearing into Nico’s bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

Will disappeared into the streets of New York, making a mental note of how much calmer it was. There were still people buzzing around, but it was significantly less crowded. Well, not _significantly,_ but, less crowded. And it wasn’t really crowded - he wasn’t used to his high school being filled with people who’d hug as a greeting, so he didn’t really get _crowded_.

He’s just digging himself a hole.

_ANYWAY!_

It took him about an hour to get back to Hecate’s apartment, five minutes to walk up the stairs to the apartment since he was about to pass out from exhaustion, and two minutes to collapse at the foot of the bed. Lou was at the head, he was at the bottom, and he had to grab another blanket from outside on the couch before he could climb back into bed.

That’s how he got that thought.

_I could probably fall in love with Nico di Angelo._

Most times, in cliched stories, this would be the part where the main protagonist admits they _already_ love their main interest. Will thought that was weird, how you could know someone for less than two weeks and already know you were in love with them, though he didn’t doubt it. He could understand, maybe a bit, but he didn’t love Nico di Angelo _at that second._

They were just soulmates/boyfriends.

Nothing more.

Though, somehow, that still brought a smile to his face.

_Boyfriends._

It shouldn’t be that big of a deal. I mean, what he _should_ be fanboying about is how they’re soulmates. But, almost everyone had a soulmate. Most people didn’t even _call_ the other their boy/girlfriend. Just… _soulmate._

Will liked boyfriend. It was a bit old-fashioned, yes, but he enjoyed it. It meant that they were doing things their own way.

He fell asleep with a smile on his face, thinking about how he could - and would, in due time -  fall in love with Nico di Angelo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Hey y'all. tomorrow when I post the epilogue you guys NEED to read the end notes. They're bound to be interesting.


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i lied. i said i was gonna post this tomorrow and im sorry but i lied. i needed to get this out into the word. kinda short, and i kinda hate myself for that, but whatever. I HAVE AN ADDITION so you may wanna read the bottom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, this looks really weird since i copy-pasted it off of the notes app on my laptop, but let's just shhhhhhhh

 

> **Two Years Later**

  
Where Nico is from, marriage is something no one did. Kind of like a forbidden ceremony for those who weren't truly soulmates; for those who only wished they were. He guesses that people who don't have soulmates - those select few - could marry another who didn't have one and it would be fine. Obligated, in some cases.

Not for him and Will, though.

  
The name was Soulmate Engagement, like some sort of knock-off nursery rhyme. Some people got rings afterward, though some didn't. Most people did, though not all.

  
Will insisted that they be the people who got rings.

  
Nico wasn't sure if they could call it a 'shotgun wedding' since A) not a wedding, and B) he thought it sounded too much like a weird movie from the sixties.

  
He supposes it's a lot like a wedding. Most people couldn't get messages from their soulmates until maybe fifty years ago; meaning weddings were still go-to. He got some things from his grandmother about how it was like. He found it odd.

  
That was when he realized that that was what his mother and Hades had gotten. Married.  
He didn't let his thoughts derail for too long, though, since Will and he were walking down the streets in a crowded Manhattan, looking left and right.

  
"It was near Central Park, right?" Nico shouted over the sounds of stomping feet.

  
"I think so," Will responded. "Around the place, at least,"

  
Nico had his pointer finger wrapped around one of the belt loops in Will's jeans. Partly because he couldn't grab his hand - Will was scrolling through his phone trying to find directions. Another reason: Will had a habit of running into people.

  
He tugged Will out of the way of another train of ongoing people, waving at them and muttering apologies. Afterward, he turned towards Will, looking down at the phone screen for only a moment.

  
"Did you find the address?" Nico asked, pulling Will to a stop as they came to a cross. Will, to Nico's confusion, nodded. "Yeah," Will said, still scrolling on the phone.

Nico groaned. Will had said, earlier, that they’d just go by the people around them and google maps. Nico’d been against it, but Will as guiding so he didn’t get a say.

But, in the end he found the address anyway. “Why didn’t you just find the address first? Would’ve saved us a _lot_ of time.”

  
Will shrugged. Nico hit him upside the head.

  
Will smiled, taking Nico's hand from his waist and tugging him down for a few more blocks. When he turned into a large, previously-white-but-now-more-of-a-gray building, Nico wasn't sure what he expected. Vacant floors, or maybe packed to the brim. But what he didn't expect was to see two people going at it at the front desk.

  
When the door shut behind Nico and Will the people parted, both red-faced, and started towards their desks.

”Talk about friendly co-workers,” Will whispered, leaning down to whisper in Nico’s ear. Nico bit back a laugh but let a smile crawl onto his face, shoving Will’s shoulder lightly. Will just laughed in response.

  
There were other people in there, sure, but not too many. It was still their school year - May, to be exact - but summer was nearing. There were maybe twenty other couples, forty people in total, and the room hummed with people excited to get engaged, or whatever.

  
"Next?" A woman called out, staring at Nico and Will. Will looked around, expecting another set of people to step forward, and was surprised when it was them being called. Nico just rolled his eyes. He'd been through this before with Sally and Mr. Blowfish - sorry, Blowfis, a few months previous. She'd met her soulmate while on a writer's retreat a while ago, and they’d gotten hitched as soon as he'd met Percy and Nico. Nico found the guy a bit odd, though he was a good man. At least they were actual soulmates, anyway.

  
"Uh, we'd like to get an engagement," Will said, though it sounded more like a question. Nico rolled his eyes.

  
"What are your names?" The woman asked.

  
"Nico di Angelo," Nico said. He gestured to Will. "William Solace."

  
The woman nodded. "And when would you like this done?"

  
"Right now,"

  
The woman raised a brow at them. "Now?"

  
Nico nodded. The woman nodded, only slightly surprised, and began scrolling the mouse on her desk, perhaps looking for an opening.  
"Would you like a ceremony or just the engagement?"

  
"Just the engagement," Will said. They both agreed that having a big blow-out for their engagement was just stupid; everyone knew they would be getting it at some point. What was the big deal? Percy and Annabeth would get it, alongside Jason and Piper, and Hazel and Frank at some point. (They'd met too, anyway. Not too long ago. Maybe a week or so.)

  
"We have an opening..." she scrolled for a moment. She seemed a bit confused when she looked up at the two again. "Right now, actually. Huh,"

  
"Great!" Will said, looking down at Nico with a smile. Nico felt his stomach flip over. "We can get back before Sally kills us for being late to Saturday dinner again,"

  
Nico found himself staring at him as Will went to continue talking to the lady. Most other couples, it seemed, were booking for a few months in the future. Not many people came in here for what she called a 'Shotgun arrangement'. Will turned back to Nico, raising a brow. He said something which Nico let go in one ear and out the other. Instead of letting Will continue to ramble he reached up, grabbing the collar of his white tank top with the words _Sun's Out Gun's Out_ on it, and kissed him.

  
The woman didn't seem surprised by this; it had probably happened many times before. Nico didn't care, honestly. He just loved how Will lit up when he talked about it.

  
"We get it, lovebirds," the woman said once they parted. She had a bit of an annoyed tone, though she had a bright smile on her face, making it evident she was kidding. She got up from her desk, grabbing a clipboard and handing it to Will as she walked around. "Mr. D is a bit of a grouchy man, so don't be surprised if he's not in a fantastic mood. He's the only person we have available at the moment. All you need to do is fill this out," she tapped the board with her finger, "and you'll be out of here, officially husbands. Is there anything else you’ll need?" Will shook his head. She pointed the way down the halls towards this 'Mr. D' character's office, waving goodbye to them as she accepted the next couple to her desk.

  
Nico knew he shouldn't be this excited. It was something almost every human did! Why was it making him feel like he was going to vomit?

  
"Calm down," Will said, as though reading his thoughts, and gripped his left hand in Nico's right. Nico looked up at him, biting back a smile at Will's bright one, and nodded. "It's fine," Will said again. "We could always come back, you know."

  
"No!" Nico said, then almost smacked himself in the face for how loud he was. Will bit his bottom lip to prevent a laugh from escaping, though listened to Nico. "I just... it's a bit exciting, you know? Nobody knows we're here."

  
Will nodded. "It makes me feel like a secret agent."

  
Will had aged a century and not at all in the span of a year. He'd gotten a haircut - one that almost everyone except for Will was adamant about - that left the top of his head a bit longer than the sides. He still had the same mischevious glint in his eye (Nico hoped it never left) and the aura that said he was going to forever remain a child. For some reason, his jeans were cut off to right above the knee and he was wearing two different shoes. One Nico's (he'd been looking for it for a week!) and the other his own. One white converse, the other black.

  
"Am I ever going to get my shoe back?" Nico asked. He was honestly a bit mystified that Will even shared the same shoe size as him.  
Will shook his head. "Nope."

  
"You're annoying," Nico said.

  
"And yet," Will said, holding up their interlocked hands. "You still wanna get an engagement. The more you say that the less I believe you, di Angelo,"

  
Nico'd probably changed some too, he guessed. His hair was a lot shorter, though he had bags under his eyes from Skyping Hazel when he should've been sleeping. He was wearing ripped jeans and Will's sleeveless hoodie (it totally diminished the purpose of a hoodie, which is to keep you warm) that was a light gray color. Will had cut the sleeves off himself it seems since the edges were frayed and cut much too low, showing off a little more of Nico's side than Will's tank top did on him. He wasn't sure if that was intentional or not, though, so he didn't comment. Will also made him get glasses - he'd run into the wall far too many times, apparently - that had a brow line frame and currently sat on top of his head. When Will noticed this he slid them back down to the bridge of Nico's nose. Nico scowled.

"Can’t I just get contacts?" he asked.

  
"Nope," Will replied.

  
"Why, exactly?"

  
"Because you look cute with the glasses on."

  
Nico rolled his eyes. "I'm twenty."

  
"That doesn't take away from the fact that they make you look cute."

  
"Fuck _off_ ,"

  
"No thanks,"

  
Thankfully, they'd reached Mr. D's door.

  
Mr. D was a older man, maybe fifty or so, with a hawain shirt on and khakis. A bit of a weird wardrobe, considering where he worked, though Nico didn’t comment - he and Will weren’t exactly typical dressers, either. He sat up when Nico and Will came in, letting them take the two chairs in front of him.

  
After filling out the paper and answering a few questions, proving they were actually soulmates, and some other shit that went over Nico's head they were walking out the door, Will with a certificate in his hands and Nico finally coming out of his daze.

  
"Holy guacamole," Will said as they got outside, holding the piece of parchment up to the light as though to see it better. "We actually did that."

  
Nico was silent for another moment before speaking. "I guess we did," his voice was a bit scratchy so he cleared his throat before speaking again. "Now what do we do?"

  
Will hesitated before taking the paper from above his head. His eyes suddenly widened and he grabbed Nico's wrists, almost jumping up and down in his spot. "Nico! Nico, Nico, Nico!"

  
"What!" Nico shouted back. "What, what, what!"

  
Will said, "We need to get back to the dorm,"

  
"What - why?"

  
"Because! Now, let's go!"

  
Nico and Will had - somehow - became dormmates for the past mostly-two-years of their college career. They'd filled each other out on their applications first year, though Nico must've forgotten that after they did that they would probably be roommates for the following four years. He didn't care much, no, but it sucked when Will bought random shit like dishwasher scented candles and lit them in the bathroom.

  
Will hailed a cab, got Nico and himself in, and told the cab driver to, quote, Step on it! To which Nico hit him, told the driver the address, and Will failed to keep up the act of a pouting child for long.

  
When they finally got to campus and Nico paid the driver Will pulled him out of the back seat, dragging him across the grass, dirt, cement and mulch that surrounded the buildings and dormitories. As they made their way up the stairs in their dorm they almost ran into Leo Valdez, who for some reason was here alongside Piper and Hazel. Hazel called out to them to which Will ignored them. Nico turned to look at his sister over his shoulder, showing how he was confused, and when they made way to follow yelled: "Give us a minute!"

  
Will opened up their door and it hit the wall behind them, letting go of Nico's wrist and diving for their shared closet. Nico blinked a few times before turning, shrugging at Hazel and the others before shutting the door behind him.

  
"What the fuck is-"

  
Will cut him off. "I know how you wanted to get them together," he started, turning around and facing him. He had a small black bag in front of him. Nico raised a brow. "But I found this one and it just, uh, you know," he shoved it towards Nico, who took it with a hint of a smile on his face. "It kinda... reminded me... of you,"

  
Nico said, "You're insufferable," but the wide smile spreading across his face proved nothing but the opposite.

  
Will relaxed at the half-assed insult, sitting on his bed with Star Wars sheets. To be fair, at this point they just shared it since all of their books and pencils and other things were on Nico's bed. They had to start packing soon.

  
Nico reached inside the bag, pulling out a small black box.

  
He kind of assumed Will was going to get a ring without him. Did he mind? Not really, considering he got Will one as well.

  
Instead of opening it he went over to where Will was sitting. Will scooted over, expecting Nico to sit, but instead Nico got on his knees and began scooping things out from under the bed.

  
"Jesus Christ," Nico said, "do you ever clean under here?"

  
He couldn't see Will shake his head. He didn't really need to; it was a rhetorical question. 

  
Nico came up for air when he found his own bag, this one a bright pink Percy had gotten (because fuck Percy) and handed it over. Will raised a brow and Nico fought back a blush, but, obviously, that didn't work and now his entire face was red.

  
"I gave Percy the honor of getting the bag," he said. "I didn't know what it was until I already bought it."

  
Will waved him off, taking the bag with light fingers. He pursed his lips, reaching in and grabbing his own box, which was also black, and setting the bag beside Nico's black one.

  
They waited a second, both studying their own boxes, until Will spoke up.

  
"Uh, on the count of three?"

  
Nico looked up, nodding silently.

  
One,  
Two,  
Three!

  
Nico's ring was black, not very heavy, and had an almost glassy look to it. It was a dark, rich color, with small engravings on the outside. Probably leaves, he thought to himself, and maybe some branches. The inside has one as well, but those felt more like words.

  
Will's was a simple gold band with a simple sun on the front. It wasn't as heavy as Nico's, though only by a few grams. It had words on the inside, ones that he could actually read, and they appeared to be in Nico's handwriting: Significant Annoyance- Nico.

  
"What does it say?" Nico asked, a bit choked up, since he couldn't read it for himself. Will laughed a bit, almost not noticing the glare Nico shot him for it, and fingered the ring as it laid in Nico's palm.

  
"'Significant Annoyance - Will',"

  
Nico snorted, though it came up a bit water logged. "You are such an ass,"

  
"Hey!" Will said, mocking offense. "Rude,"

  
"You stole my words," Nico said, though it was barely above a whisper. 

  
Will took a minute before responding. "At least I'm not rehashing a year old insult,"

  
Nico hit him. Will hit him back.

  
They just sat for a moment, face to face, not able to really say anything. Nico was too busy staring at Will, and Will was too busy trying to pretend he didn't notice.

  
Without any words Nico reached over, taking the small gold ring from Will's palm, and with his free hand he took Will's left, slipping it on. It was a perfect fit, and suddenly Nico thought it was worth using his mother's old 'What's their shoe size?' trick. Even if he had to get closer to Will's shoes than was considered comfortable. He let his thumb dance over the engraving on the outside before dropping Will's hand. Then Will took Nico's ring, placed it on his left ring finger, but before dropping his hand lifted it to his mouth, leaving a kiss on his knuckles. Nico scowled to hide the redness that threatened to take over once more.

  
Before anything else could be said Nico swung his leg over Will’s lap, letting himself sit harmlessly on top. He wrapped his arms around Will’s neck, resting their foreheads together.

  
"You know," Will said, placing his hands on Nico's hips and letting his hands glide up slightly to touch the bare skin of his waist. "Hazel, Leo, and Piper are still outside."

  
Nico shrugged, grabbing the sides of Will's shirt with both his fists and dragging him up to meet him - this was the only time he had a height advantage, really. "They can wait another minute or two," Nico muttered, right before finally closing the gap between them.

  
It wasn't like their first kiss two years or so ago, where it was over almost as soon as it began. This one was slow, deliberate, like they could wait all they wanted and it wouldn't matter. The Earth would still spin and some stars would still die, but it wouldn't matter, because they were still here.

  
After a second or so Nico moved his hands to the back of Will's neck. And then, after he felt like that still was not enough, he pushed his hands into Will's hair and pulled him up more. It got a bit intense, after that, and after what could've been seconds, minutes, or years, Nico’s hands went up the back of Will’s skull, his forearms wrapped partially around his neck and partially around his head.

Will tilted his head the wrong way - maybe on purpose, maybe not - and Nico laughed, loud and vibrant, before doing it himself. They both knew it was purpose, but they didn’t really care; this wasn’t a time to get ‘got and heavy’, as Will had described it much to Nico’s chagrin. (Understatement of the year; it made him want to rip his head off.)  

This was a time of being happy, of doing things they’ll never regret for the rest of their lives and of things that they knew were important - of times where everything they were doing was to make the other feel good - to laugh, to fuck up on purpose, to embarrass themselves on the other’s bad day just to see them smile. 

  
"Yo!" Piper shouted, banging on the door. "Are you guys done yet? We've got shit to do!"

  
Nico and Will stopped.

  
They laughed.

Nico watched as Will threw his head back laughing, slowly falling to his back and covering his eyes with the palms of his hands. Nico watched as the light from the above-head window shined down, giving Will the looks of a god. It didn’t look like a halo has sprouted on his head - it looked like his entire body gave a heavenly glow, and Nico was rendered almost speechless. 

After a few seconds Will sat back up, tucking his nose into the crook between the start of his shoulder and the end of his neck, body still shaking slightly from his laughter. He wrapped his arms loosely around Nico’s waist, tugging him closer. Nico laughed as well, though muffled it by shoving his nose into Will’s hair, his mouth just a ghost of a whisper on Will’s temple. 

After a few minutes and a few more knocks from the other three, Nico pressed a kiss to the taller boy’s head, and Will hummed in response.

”Can we just sleep?” Will asks, squeezing Nico’s torso slightly. “Or binge, like, really bad movies on Netflix.”

Nico snorted, and all though to offer was tempting, shook his head. Will sighed. 

“Later,” Nico promised, “when we don’t have dumb younger sisters and friends pounding at our door.”

They got up from their place on the bed, Will trailing behind Nico but their fingers still interlocked, but Will shot forward as soon as the door opened, taking Nico with him.

Nico couldn’t say he was surprised.

Piper, Hazel, and Leo all stood in shock for a moment before bolting after the two, almost tripping over one another’s feet, and saw the two standing by the sidewalk.

”What the hell, man?” Leo asked.

Nico pointed to Will. “Not my decision.”

”Wait,” Hazel said, grabbing Nico’s wrist before he could let it fall to his side. “Is this a ring?” She turned Nico’s hand around to look, as though he hadn’t seen it before.

“Uh...” he went, and he exchanged a look that Will immediately understood. Nico turned to his sister. “Well, you see here,” but before he could finish he and Will sprinted off, running across campus and almost tripping on rocks and other people’s shoes.

”You shitheads!” Nico could hear Hazel scream, but he and Will just laughed in response. Will lifted up the hand entangled with Nico’s and kissed the back of Nico’s hand, causing Nico to roll his eyes. Nico, instead of doing something remarkable, just flipped the bird in their general direction. 

Piper shouted, “I’ll get it out of you tonight, di Angelo!” But she’s didn’t even finish before Hazel started sprinting after them. Or maybe she never stopped running - Nico was too busy looking ahead to know.” 

The two laughed, and Nico commited this to memory. The feel of the almost-summer humidity to the air, the feeling of Will’s palm pressed against his own and of his glasses almost coming off his face. 

When Hazel was less than thirty feet away Nico looked over at Will, and they exchanged a look. One that said everything he was thinking and more: _I love you_ and _I’ll never stop loving you_ and _don’t ever leave me_  and a bunch of sappy quotes from books he’s read.

Will’s said everything he was thinking and more: _I’ll never leave you_ and _I’ll never stop loving you_  and _if you leave I will hunt you down myself_ and quotes from shit movies he hasn’t watched in years.

When they looked at each other, they also thought the same thing: _i don’t think I can live - be myself - without you_

and they both got the same thing in response

_you wont have to_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly I'm /so/ glad this is over. I loved writing it, it was the first fanfiction I'd taken seriously while writing, but I think I drawed it on for too long.  
> Seriously, though, guys, I absolutely love yall for giving me so much support on this. Yes, it may not be very popular and with /really/ bad grammar (im still surprised at how much ive come in a month) (don't even use that innuendo) and I hope you all will stay with me while I continue writing! Thank yall so, so very much.  
> Edit: I changed the ending. I regret nothing. In all honesty, the other one kinda made me feel weirded out - this one is what I feel would really happen. I like this one more.


End file.
